


Sweet Pea's Sapphire

by Kneeshee



Series: Southside's Gems [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Consensual Underage Sex, F/F, F/M, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Southside's Gems, Sweet Pea's Pod Squad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-02-05 06:30:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12788811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kneeshee/pseuds/Kneeshee
Summary: Sapphire Stone is one of the richest girls in Riverdale and she's a Southside Serpent?





	1. |prologue|

 

_"Life is always rocky when you're a gem."_


	2. |prologue|

Sapphire Stone was once of the most well-known names across Riverdale. She was a descendant of one of the founding families. The Stones were right there on the list next to the Blossoms for the richest families in Riverdale. She lived basically the perfect life. She had loving parents that doted on her at every turn. Spoiled rotten yet humbled.

Her childhood a _ssociates_ thought it was strange of her to not take pleasure in her apparent superiority of their classmates. But Sapphire had a reason. If she lived in the area that they did, then she probably would have relished in the power and control she had over those in her presence. But unlike the Thornhill Mansion, Stone Manor was located on the Southside of Riverdale and Sapphire had the _pleasure_ of watching the area wither away from her lonely manor.

Sapphire grew an interest in the area that her mother grew sick with at every mention. The Stones have always donated to the Riverdale community, but nothing ever change for the better on the Southside. It only seemed to grow worse.

Alongside her relationship with her acquaintances with her Northside business partners, because Sapphire knew from an early age that none of them were supposed to be her friends. It was all just business. Business that took nose dive as Sapphire fascination grew deeper and deeper with the Southside.

Sapphire was eight when it happened. When she got a reality check that just because the Northside _looked_ pretty, its heart was darker and more poisoned than anything the Southside could come up with. She had been at home when it happened. Her babysitter, Mrs. DeSantos, was over watching her as usual as her parents were out of town on a business trip.

The phone call came around six that evening, and Sapphire could remember it well. She had been lying across the floor coloring _Get Well_ cards for Mrs. DeSantos son. Her gaze had switched over to Mrs. D when she heard her sharp intake of breath and for a moment, Sapphire was worried that her son had died or something. The woman had been on the verge of tears, but her eyes turned to Sapphire and the sad expression on her face had left Sapphire reeling and confused.

When Mrs. D got off the phone, she walked over to Sapphire slowly like one wrong step would set the young girl off. Sapphire wanted to punch her for making her feel scared. Mrs. D had taken a deep breath before she took Sapphire’s hands in hers and told her with the gentlest voice that her parents had died in car crash.

Sapphire was old enough to understand the meaning of death. A goodbye in the most permanent form. And Sapphire could only let her tears out drop at a time as she heard the news. She hoped that they at least had a smile on their faces when they went. Holding hands as they always do when they rode together with their thumbs tracing over each other’s fingers.

Sapphire felt as she was having an out of body experience. She processed nothing. Not even when it became apparent that despite her mother’s revelations about the Southside, in their will, Sapphire was to live with the DeSantos and quote, “ _Do not let that bitch Penelope or her stale wig wearing husband get their hands on my child and our company. I swear I will come back from the grave and raze this town the ground.”_ The lady awkwardly chuckled but Mrs. D obliged and took Sapphire in. Though it may have helped that they were to be payments that had been set aside to pay her for her services. Apparently, her parents were always convinced that they were going to leave her orphaned.

It was at the funeral where Sapphire began to hate Northsiders. No one came to see her parents off. Oh, she was seething. None of them could even bother to show their face especially since it was those assholes of Blossoms that hit had her parents. Well, she wouldn’t say none of them. The Andrews, the Coopers, Mr. Tate, the Mayor and her family, and the Sheriff and his son should up. They gave their condolences, but Sapphire could still see when Mrs. Cooper took pictures of her as Mrs. D consoled her.

She faked a smile for each business partner from out of town that came up to her. Giving her thanks for their kind words, but she knew that they would try to buy her families' company from under her. Jokes on them, her father had contingency plans like he was some sort of Batman of the technology business.

What surprised her was the amount of people from the Southside that were there for the funeral. She had been used to seeing them wrapped in leather, plaids, jeans and cotton t shirts; it took her by a surprise when they showed up in slacks, dress shirts, skirts, blouses. She almost thought she was surrounded by more of her father’s friends at their casual dinners, but their various states of snake and skull tattoos made it apparent who they were. Her father’s friends wouldn’t be caught dead, ~~too soon~~ , with tattoos visible on their bodies at a serious occasion.

After the funeral was over and her parents were laid to rest in the Stone Family’s burial grounds, Sapphire made her way back to her room of the manor to get the last of her belongings.  Her longtime home doors would be close for many years to come.

**_Eight Years Later…_ **

Sapphire woke up to the sound of her brother banging on her door. She groaned and stuffed her head back under her pillow. _Fuck, it was way too early to be getting up_.  Sapphire ignored the sounds of her brother entering her room, but failed to fall back asleep. She sat up with scowl on her face at her brother who stood near the foot of her bed with a smirk on his face.

“Time to get up Saph,” he stated as he was already dressed only with his jacket missing.

“It’s the summer, Quin. Go away,” she groaned as she flopped backed on her bed.

“You see I would,” Joaquin started before chuckling softly at her look of impatience. “But FP just called about the Northsider so you gotta be up to let Toni, SP, and Fangs in.”

At the mention of her three best friends, Sapphire perked up a little before realizing what else he said. “He still having trouble with that punk?”

Sapphire didn’t know who they had from the Northside. All she got was he was some little punk that was trying to run off with his girlfriend who he knocked up. She didn’t even know why they kept him. Whatever the case was, FP had wanted them staying on the Southside and away from the River after her old long-ago child acquaintance drown there. She found it stupid since all of them knew how to swim.

“I guess so. Get up and get dressed. I’m leaving in a few and the others should be here in thirty,” her brother stated as he headed out the door of her room. “I fixed some breakfast for you too.”

Groaning, Sapphire stood up from her bed and made her way over to her closet. She pulled her favorite pair out a pair of black high waist shorts and a dark plaited shirt. She moved away from the closet and reached into her drawers to pull on a black bandeau before slipping on her pants and tying the shirt around her waist. She ran a brush through her hair a few times before walking out and into the kitchen to eat the breakfast her brother made for her. A simple plate of eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes sat before her next to a glass of apple juice. She ate quickly yet slow enough to savor the taste of the food before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She didn’t hear when her brother called out his farewell, but she did hear the door closing as she made her way to the hall closet to get supplies to set up her nest.

She finished quickly before moving back to the living room to sit back and catch up on the new season of Supernatural. She had fallen behind a little with all her late-night joyrides with Sweet Pea and Toni.

The knock on the door startled her from her focus on watching the Winchester brothers kick ass as usual. Sighing through her nose, she made her way over to the door and unlocked it before heading back to the couch. “It’s open!”

Her three friends each walked in and plopped down in the seats around her. Toni took the recliner for herself while Fangs took over the love seat. Sweet Pea sat beside her on the three-seater which led Sapphire to immediately stretching her legs on top of his.

“Why is life so boring all of a sudden,” Fangs complained from his spot as he too watched the Winchester brothers. “Is this what we have to do now? Watching bad shows on tv?”

“Fangs, dude, mi amigo, I love you but if you _ever_ speak down on the wonders that is Supernatural again, I will kill you,” Sapphire spoke seriously not even sparing him a glance. Toni and Sweet Pea chuckled, and Sapphire kept very still as Sweet Pea’s hand trailed up her thigh and traced her own serpent tattoo that unlike most serpents wrapped around her upper thigh.

“We should do something,” Fangs complained. The other three turned their heads towards him.

“Still looking for a way to get your stripes,” she questioned. Out of the four of them, he was the only one left. Sure, he got a rep by being with them all the time, but he hadn’t earned his spot to be by them. It was only because they said that he was cool for him to be in their presence was it allowed. The three of them were basically Serpent royalty right behind FP’s northsider son.

He nodded a little sheepish. He wouldn’t admit it, but he desperately wanted to earn his stripes to be able to have the right to be by their side instead of just their word of mouth. Toni smiled over to him encouragingly, “You’ll get them eventually. Don’t rush it. Trust me.”

The four of them shared smiles before settling in to watch tv show marathons varying from Supernatural to Voltron to Stranger Things and even to some Disney movies. Sweet Pea complained about the movies, but Sapphire saw him wipe his eyes at some of the sad parts. _Gets him every time,_ she thought.

Afterwards, the four of them went riding through the Southside tagging everything with the Serpent symbol and smirking at Ghoulies they passed. They stopped by Sweet Pea’s family store and joked around with his mom and brother. Sapphire even stuck her head in the backroom and greeted Grammy Sweets before Sweet Pea pulled her away as Grammy got to talking about if she or Toni were going to bless her with some great grands.

It was late in the night when her brother made it back to their house with blood seeping through his shirt. Sapphire’s wide eyes took him in and she barely managed to hold in a scream before he told her that it wasn’t his own. She still felt a little light headed and had to onto Sweet Pea’s shoulder for support to ground her in case she fainted.

Her brother came back to the front and made them swear on their most treasured memory and person to not mention what he was about to tell them. And right after he did, Sapphire wished he kept it to himself.

She had always known that the Northside was sick and twisted, but for one to murder their own son in cold blood? _Fuck, that was on a completely different level_. The four of them promised her brother to never speak on it. Joaquin smiled gratefully before settling in to watch television with them.

Sapphire found that she couldn’t really concentrate on the show before her. Her mind kept imaging the scene of when the boy died. When he was murdered by his own father. And that was a shock for Sapphire. _Poor Jason_. He was somewhat nice to her when they were little even though it was all business between the two of them. He didn’t deserve that and another part of her couldn’t help but to wonder if she would’ve been in that position if she was forced to live with the Blossoms. Hell, she could see why Jason had previously wanted to run away and that had nothing to do with his girlfriend. She couldn’t help but to wonder if the girl even knew that her baby’s father was murdered.

As the others were leaving and Joaquin went out to make sure their bikes were properly secured, Sapphire latched onto Sweet Pea’s arm in a show of vulnerability. He looked down at her in confusion and his eyes widen slightly at the outright fear in her eyes. “Stay with me tonight?”

The two of them both swallowed deeply.  This was new territory between them. It went pass the harmless flirting and none too innocent touches and glances that lingered for seconds too long. It went pass keeping barely restrained jealousy and anger at bay whenever someone flirted with the other. And sure, the two spent nights over each other houses countless of times. But never had those encounters ever dealt with raw emotion and unguarded feelings. So yes, this was new territory for them.

And before either could question if it was worth it, Sweet Pea was agreeing to stay before moving outside to go secure his own bike. Sapphire headed back to her room, grabbed some night clothes for herself, set some of the spare clothing she kept for Sweet Pea, and disappeared into the shower. When she exited and got dressed, neither of them said anything as he went to shower, and she climbed into her bed. Her brother had walked into the room and quirked a brow before kissing her on the forehead.

                “Night, sis. Be safe,” he chuckled at the look of shock that crossed her face before exiting to his room and that look of shock stayed even as Sweet Pea returned back, closed the door, and climbed into the bed beside her. Neither of them said anything, but Sapphire scooted into his embrace and tucked her head under his chin and let the sound of his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

                --

                Weeks passed and neither Sapphire nor Sweet Pea mentioned that night. They weren’t embarrassed but what was there to say? Nothing had changed in their friendship except the touches lingered even longer and gazes strayed minutes at time. Their jealousy was much more prominent, and their flirting developed just a bit more. To a passing eye, they would seem to be behaving the same as usual but those close to them knew the truth. A line had been crossed and something shifted. It was only that Sapphire and Sweet Pea where determined to not focus on it.

                Sapphire had heard through the grapevine that rich girl Veronica Lodge and her mother had moved to town after her father was arrested for fraud. She had mentally gone through the list of her family’s most known partners and was relieved that the Lodge’s name didn’t come up.

                And that was about as far as Northside drama that she had felt comfortable talking about. She had much more interesting things to think about on the Southside like her snake’s den. Newbie Serpents that she took to training herself. She helped walked them through the motions of going through the initiation. Fighting with them so they can pass through it all. Even when Sweet Pea got jealous and threatened to kick all their asses, she was there for them and helped them with everything. Homework. Girls. Boys. Older Serpents.

                Sapphire had been on her way to her locker when Sweet Pea walked up to her. She felt a prick of annoyance when she had to look up at him. She hated being so much shorter, but she said nothing and rose a brow. Sweet Pea had leaned against the wall of lockers. He ran a hand through his messy wavy hair as his rosy and slightly chapped lips pulled into a smirk. His dark eyes burned into hers and Sapphire fought off the blush that she could feel rising.

                “What is it, SP? Come on. Hurry up, I have accounting next.”

                He rolled his eyes in response at her need to get to class. As if he didn’t have some of the highest grades in school. His _‘too cool for school’_ act doesn’t fool her. “Are you going to the drive-in tonight?”

                The Twilight Drive In where Sapphire has some of her fondest memories. Where she lost her virginity to the same boy in front of her during one drunken night that she doubts he even remembers considering he was more smashed than she was. It’s also where she went through her own initiation into the Serpents and made her feel even closer to her family of misfits.

                “I am,” she replied as she moved around him and continued to her locker knowing he would follow. She heard his heavy footsteps as she opened her locker and switched out her books.

                “I need a date,” Sweet Pea started, and Sapphire turned deeper into the locker to keep the scowl forming on her face from showing. The last time he needed a date somewhere he asked her to convince Jazz Towers to go with him.

                “What does have to do with me,” she cut him off sharply and internally winced at how bitterly jealous she sounded.

                He placed a hand on her arm and used the other to turn her face to him. A soft yet sharp smile danced across his face and Sapphire decided that she loved the look. “I’m asking you to go with me.”

Okay, wait.

Pause.

Rewind.

Play it back.

 _Did he just ask me on a date,_ she thought as her heart beat sped up. She was sure that her eyes were wide and shocked like a deer in headlights except she wouldn’t tear up your front end if you don’t manage to move out of her way. Well, she would but not at that second.

Her face flamed red and Sweet Pea could easily see how flustered she was. And that was fucking hot. Sapphire hardly ever blushed or stumbled over her words as she tried to find her footing. He decided that he liked this side of her. He liked it a lot.

                He watched as her eyes flickered away from his and back before turned back to her locker with her cheeks still burning. She cleared her throat as she pulled down her textbook before once again turning to look back at him.

                “It’s not the most romantic way to ask a girl out,” she stated as a small smile made its way to her face and the spark in her eyes smothered the flustered look in its return. “But I’ll take it this time. Seven-thirty, don’t be late.”

                She closed her locker and replaced the lock before turning away and headed towards her class. He watched her walk away and smirked when she spared a glance behind her to see him still watching her. She shook her head with a smirk of her own before he lost sight of her in the crowd.

                Lunch Time rolled around, and Toni rushed over to Sapphire with a sly smile on her face. “I heard someone has a date with Sweet Pea.”

                Fighting down her blush, Sapphire nodded back with a bright smile. “He asked me earlier. Who all knows?”

                Toni smiled back at her before looping their arms and pulling her towards the Serpents side of the café. They ignored the Ghoulies that catcalled them and stuck their fingers up at the ones that insulted them. “Oh, just you know every Serpent here and maybe a few regulars.”

                Saph laughed as they reached their table and sat down. Toni sat on the other side of her and started flicking through the pictures of her camera and showing them to Sapphire. They were barely sitting there for five minutes when her brother, Fangs, and Sweet Pea joined them.

                “So, what’s the plan for the drive in,” Fangs questioned as his eyes flickered from Sapphire to Sweet Pea with a knowing smile.

                “Quin and I are riding with you,” Toni told him without even looking up from her camera. Fangs scrunched his nose up but before he got say anything, it got deadly quiet around them. Their gazes flickered up to see one of the regulars strut her way into their section. None of them could think of her name, but she did look familiar. She was treated to blank faces and suspicious glances as she made her way to closer to their table.

Once she stopped, she turned to look at Sweet Pea with sly smirk on her face. Sapphire barely managed to keep the scowl from dropping on her face. The girl tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear before she said, “Hey, Sweet Pea. I was wondering you wanted to go to the Drive-In with me for its last night.”

Sapphire turned to look at Sweet Pea only to notice that he was looking back at her before she turned her head away. She didn’t see his expression, but she heard how smoothly he rejected the girl. “Sorry, doll. I’m already going with Sapphire.”

Saph’s eyes flickered up towards the girl who sneered down at her before huffing and walking away.

_Bitch._

The rest of lunch passed without much fanfare. Hell, the rest of the day went by normally. Well if you didn’t count the other Serpents coming up to Saph and Sweet Pea congratulating them on their date like it was some sort of fucking engagement.

Sapphire rode her bike home and secured it before she rushed to her room to find something to wear. _Okay, it must be something smoking hot yet still look like you didn’t put any effort in it but still looked like you deserved to be on Sweet Pea’s arm or like Sweet Pea deserve to have you on his arm. And fuck this isn’t prom or even a gala!_

She sighed deeply before just rummaging throw her closet until her eyes caught sight of favorite pair of black skinny jeans and matched it with a red crop top. She got her Serpent jacket and her red fingerless gloves and set all of it out on the bed. Then spent the next twenty minutes searching for her black combat boots growing more frustrated by the second until she found one under her bed and the other in the microwave for some reason.

She spent the next two hours doing homework before stopping and instead scrolling through her twitter. She noticed quite a few Northies hash tagging the Drive In and how they’d be there and she mentally sighed because she just knew that FP was not going to let them mess with them. _Such a shame really._

By the time seven o’clock rolled around, Sapphire had gotten dressed and was working on her hair because if it wasn’t a simple ponytail or just letting it hang freely, it took at least fifteen minutes to style and five before that to tame. She decided to forego makeup. It was going to be dark and she’d more than likely sitting at the back of the drive in with the rest of the Serpents.

But imagine her surprise when Sweet Pea didn’t pull up to her house on his bike, but instead in his family’s pickup truck. He made it there five minutes before, but being the little shit that he was he waited until it was exactly 7:30 to knock and let go of the door handle so she could finally open it. She gave him an unimpressed look at his actions, but her mouth went a little dry at seeing him in a fitted t-shirt under his jacket. _And fuck him because he knew that she liked fitted t shirts on guys._

The ride to the drive in was filled with small talk, but Sapphire could feel her nerves eating at her. This was her first real date with Sweet Pea. She had been crushing on him for so long and she wouldn’t know what to do if he was just doing this for a fuck. Probably kill him or move away from Riverdale to London and work in a chippy.

Sweet Pea parked the truck close enough to see the movie, but still far enough to be near the gang. Toni had rushed up to her and hugged her the second she saw her.

“ _Fuck me, those Northerners are hot. Boys and the girls,”_ she whispered into Sapphire’s ear. Honestly, with Sweet Pea standing near her with that fucking shirt on and his own leather jacket, she hadn’t paid much mind to the Northies. She just smirked at Toni though because Toni loves scoping out the rare delicacies.

The two of them made their way to the concession stand and were about to pay when FP came up behind them and paid instead. Neither girl missed the way he glared at the boy working the booth at his not-so discreet staring at Saph’s boobs and not-subtle flirting with Toni. If anyone ever said that FP wasn’t a softy, then they just needed to see him with most of the girls in the gang. He treated them like his own daughters. _I made a lot of mistakes in my life and one includes not being able to see my little girl grow up. My son avoids me, so if I’m going to repay for those mistakes then I’ll start by being the dad you girls need._

“Thanks, FP,” the girls told him.

“Anything for Southside’s Gems,” he replied patting the both on the head before moving to walk away. Though he did stop and turned and threw a smirk in Sapphire’s direction, “And congrats on your date with Sweet Pea.”

_Fucking hell, just who doesn’t know._

The two girls made their way back to the gang before Sweet Pea pulled her away to go sit on the back of the truck. The movie was good, but their attention kept dragging back to their friends right behind them making noise and with the occasional teasing remark thrown their way.

“Do you know what happens to a snake when a Louboutin heel steps on it?” Sapphire heard which drew her attention from throwing popcorn over at Fangs who was trying to catch them in his mouth. Her gaze snapped towards a dark-haired girl not too far ahead of her who was standing up glaring back at the rest of the Serpents.

_First of all, bitch…_

Sapphire was moving to stand up and give it to her as good as she got when Sweet Pea’s hand curled around her wrist. Her scowl dropped onto him as he shook his head before nodding over in FP and Tall Boy’s direction. Both gave her the look to drop it and she plopped back down in her seat with a pout.

“No need to pout, love,” Sweet Pea laughed at her. “You’ll get your turn for revenge sooner or later.”

                “S’ not fair. How come she gets to snap at us and we don’t get to say nothing back,” she mumbled before blushing as he wrapped an arm around her. She forced herself to relax as he pulled her closer to him.

                “FP doesn’t want us to draw attention and he especially doesn’t want them to know one of their finest grew up with them. He doesn’t want them to think we tainted you.”

                “Well you didn’t, if anything I tainted you all,” she muttered childishly. He laughed again, “Sure you did, doll.”

                And then…

                Then he tilted her face up towards his and kissed her.

_Oh, my fucking fish sticks, Sweet Pea is kissing me! His lips are touching my lips!_

She got over her shock rather quickly and kissed him right back. Before it could any further though, he pulled away from her and smiled. “How about another date next week?”

She smiled softly at him, “I’d like that,” she replied as she laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm tightly around her even more.


	3. |two|

She had been sitting in her usual spot near the pool tables when some Northsiders burst into the Whyte Wyrm. They walked around like they owned the place and Sapphire noticed her brother walking in with them. Her eyes blaze because _what the fuck, Quin?_

FP had managed to keep a brawl from bursting out which would’ve have ended with all of them walking out in handcuffs and the Northies leaving out in body bags. As the Northsiders left, Sapphire made her way to her brother and scowled at him. He flinched at the look in her eyes and nodded in unspoken agreement. _Bring those assholes into our territory. You can very well go fucking live with them._

It was only for the night because Sapphire honestly couldn’t stay mad at her brother if you paid her to. Not that someone could afford her, but the point remains. When he came back to the house the next day, she had fixed him make-up breakfast but left before they could have a proper conversation. She didn’t care if he kept the northsiders on their side of town and his little boy toy/boyfriend whatever kept a smile on his face.

\--

She had been at Southside High’s own homecoming dance draped elegantly on Sweet Pea’s arm. She was pretty sure she had the most expensive dress in the building, but it made no matter as she made sure to also deck her own friends out in expensive dresses and suits. All eyes were on her as she moved with eased in her six-inch heels and her beautiful long starry black dress with a plunging V-neck. Every piece of her hair was curled to perfection and her face was contoured and baked and all the other official makeup terms that made her look like a model on one of her magazines.

Toni, who Sapphire was irritated to note brought her camera, was dressed in an off-white jumpsuit that brought out her pink highlights. When she saw the scowl, Sapphire aimed at her camera, she just laughed and took a picture of her before linking her arms with Fangs and made their way to the dance floor.

“May I have this dance,” Sweet Pea smirked at her and her heart fluttered like a hummingbird’s wing. She took his outstretched hand and let him lead the way to the dance floor.

Time was a fickle thing as Sapphire danced in Sweet Pea’s arms before being swapped with Toni to dance with Fangs. When it was time to announce Homecoming Queen and King, she leaned back into Sweet Pea’s embrace and felt content as she waited for the winning contestants to make their way onto the stage.

It came as a surprise to her when it was her name being called because she was like 100% sure that she paid off the homecoming committee to make sure that Toni won because her Gem sister was a fucking queen. The shocked look that was on her face didn’t go away until she was standing up on stage accepting her crown.

Not many missed the way her nose scrunched up as she was forced to dance with the homecoming king. A fucking Ghoulie who took _too_ much pleasure in having her in his arms.

“I didn’t think this was the way to end the rivalry between us, but I can’t deny that I don’t like it,” he stated smugly as one of his hands drooped lower near her ass as the song was coming to an end. She felt the moment her friends made stepped forward to rip his arms off her, but they stopped the second her heel connected with his foot and her knee met his dick. He dropped down to his knees as he spat and moaned curses out at her.

“Remember your place, bitch,” she spat. “The likes of you would never be fucking worthy of me.”

She turned on her heel dramatically before relinking her arm with Sweet Pea who was torn between walking away with her or finish beating the Ghoulie’s ass when their phones went off. Each of them shared at glance at each other before pulling their phones out as if A from PLL was sending them messages.

Except it was worse.

Well nothing’s worse than a group of stalking bitches determined to ruin your life and kill you, but the point remains. It was horrible.

FP had been arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom.

\--

If Sapphire thought that was bad, she woke up to find her house empty on the scheduled brother-sister bonding day that Joaquin suggested. She was even more furious to find out that he was on the Northside and _oh, she had some words to say_.

She threw on a random pair of jeans and white t-shirt and topping it off with her Serpent jacket and black converse before she was speeding her bike through the roads of the Southside to the house where her brother’s phone location was coming from.

Turning off her bike, she went to the door of the house, but no one answered, and it was just her luck that she managed to her voices coming from the backyard and in some garage.

Her eyes burned bright to see all those Northsiders crowding her brother.

“ _I’m not asking you as your boyfriend. I’m asking as the sheriff’s son.”_

“Well get a fucking warrant because he doesn’t have to tell you shit without a lawyer,” she snapped watching as all eyes swiveled around to meet hers.

“Who are you,” the red hair boy questioned but Sapphire wasn’t paying him any attention. She only had eyes for her brother.

“Joaquin DeSantos, why in the hell did I wake up this morning to an empty house on Sibling Bonding Sunday?” She snarled at him and her fists clenched into fists.

“They found out that FP used his one phone call on me,” he replied calmly not even phased by his younger sister’s anger. His words stop her in her tracks and he could see the pain, sadness, and concern in her eyes.

“Is he okay? Does he need me to phone him a lawyer? Are they treating him, right? They better damn well fucking be, or I’ll have every single one of those pigs fired.”

She ignored the cough in the background and the scoff of outrage from the people behind her as her brother sat up in his seat and took her hands in his. “He’s alright, mi hermana. You know the laws, Saph. _A Serpent never shows cowardice_.”

She sighed and nodded, “And you know the laws. _In unity, there is strength_. I wish there was something we could do to help him.”

“We can start by finding out who framed him,” a voice piped up from behind her. She shared a look with her brother who nodded inconspicuously.

She turned, and her eyes found their way to a boy who looked incredibly familiar. In fact, the older version of him was sitting in a holding cell uptown. “Jughead Jones. FP’s boy.”

He looked confused but nodded his head anyway. “I know your dad is being framed. The whole Southside knows. When the leader of the Serpents goes to jail, we take notice.”

The blonde girl standing beside Jughead looked at her and stepped just a tiny bit closer to him. _Yeah, sweetheart, no thanks. I like my men taller and with neck tattoos who wear dog tags and silver rings._ “Who are you?”

Sapphire quirk a brow, “Didn’t you hear me? I thought I made it clear that I was Joaquin’s sister.”

“You two look nothing alike,” the redhead boy stated.

“That’s none of your business, Northie. What the hell else do you want with us?”

The sheriff’s son and Quin’s lover boy straightened just a little as he looked at the siblings, “We just want to know why FP called him and what he knows.”

The Northsiders watched the two siblings basically have a nonverbal conversation right in front of them. Sharp looks and snarls and sneers. Pointed and exasperated looks and pouts before they turned back to them with Sapphire looking stubbornly out the window.

Joaquin began to explain to them why FP called him and what happened on July the Eleventh. Sapphire mentally flinched because she remembered. She had been hanging out and goofing about while her brother was cleaning up a crime scene.

Somehow the conversation ended with them talking about going over to the Southside to go see Mustang. The guy that the redhead ~~Archie~~ had nearly got into a fight with at the Whyte Wyrm. Sapphire snarled before she disappeared out the garage and hurried over to her bike. She needed to get out of the Northside. She felt dark and unholy just by being in its area. At least on the Southside you knew what was happening. People didn’t hide by masks there.

She rode around the Southside for a while and pulled to stop outside of Mustang’s apartment complex when she saw police cars pulling up. She hopped off her bike and moved closer when she noticed the covered stretcher being pulled out of his apartment. Sapphire didn’t even notice the scream of grief that left her lips at seeing that.

“MUSTANG!”

She wanted to cry and scream and break everything and everybody in sight as she ran forward only for to be pulled backwards and into someone’s body. She felt the feeling of familiar silver rings running through her hair as she cried into Sweet Pea’s arms.

“Mustang!” She heard the voice of Toni yell as she glances up to see her best friend also rush forward only for Fangs to hold her in a similar embrace to her and Sweet Pea.

She wept harshly into Sweet Pea’s arms as they pulled the body into the ambulance and closed the doors. Another Serpent gone from her life.

She went home to even more grief when she noticed that her brother wasn’t there and the only person in her house was the Sheriff’s son. Sweet Pea and Fangs begin to walk around her to get him away, but she raises a hand to stop them. Just barely though.

The boy, Kevin, says, “Joaquin’s gone. He told me to tell you that he loves you.”

And fuck it, she hits the floor in dead faint.

\--

It was all over the news and newspapers the next morning. Clifford Blossom was a drug lord, murdered his son, and committed suicide.

And the worst part about it, was that FP was still in jail and her brother fucked off to San Junipero. She was alone. Her brother gone. Her adopted parents had moved away two years ago just in time for her to get emancipated though she continued to funnel them checks just because.

She skipped school and sat in her living room crying to herself holding onto one of her brother’s other jackets. Aside from the Serpents, she had no one else left. She was alone.

Sapphire felt sick with grief and hatred. _Fucking Northsiders ruin everything._

Her anger mixed with her grief and she tore her living room up. Overthrowing the table and pushing over the couches. A small, very small part of her was conscious to leave the television alone. She punched the wall as hard as she could and barely registered the pain from her hand when it broke through. She tore the pictures off the wall and she just let it all out.

She was about to go through every room of the house in the prices of trashing everything she could get her hands on when she heard her someone knocking on her. She whirled around with the look of pure murder in her eyes as she flung it open.

A red mist covered her eyes when she realized it was the cops. “What the hell do you want?”

The Sheriff held up a warrant for arrest. A warrant for her brother’s arrest. “We’re looking for Joaquin DeSantos for his part in Jason Blossom’s murder.”

“Well you’re shit out of luck, he’s not fucking here. And if he was, I wouldn’t let you pig head good for nothing son of a bitches touch him. Now get the hell off my porch and leave me alone,” she snarled before slamming the door shoot in their faces.

The sound of her phone vibrating loudly on the counter caught her attention next and her anger started to peak higher. She had a message and barely spared a glance to who sent it as she opened it.

_I’m coming over. Be there in 15 -SP_

Muttering to herself, she almost texted back but she knew nothing she could say would stop him from ditching to come check on her. Instead, she just walked back to the front door and glared at the police car that was parked across the street from her home. _You can sit there all you fucking want. Joaquin isn’t coming home anytime soon,_ she thought as she made her way over to her bike.

She hunched over the bike as she finally registered the pain in her hand. Tears sprung to her eyes and she wondered if it was broken or badly sprained.

She rode over to the Serpents dealer and bought a dime bag of weed. She doesn’t usually smoke, but she’d be damn if she didn’t find a stress reliever. And headed straight to the medic also to get her hand fixed up. Apparently, it was only badly sprained before but because she drove her bike and put pressure on it, it broke. Well fuck it, she needed to get back home broken hand or not. She’d let it rest when she got there.

When she pulled back up to her house, Sweet Pea was pulling up right behind her. The police car across the street was still there. Still watching even as Sweet Pea pulled her into a hug right then and there.

“Going soft,” she muttered against his chest. “You don’t usually hug in front of people.”

“You looked like you need one,” he replied holding her closer before shooting a glare over to the cop car.

When he finally let her go, they walked into the house and she locked the door back. Sweet Pea stood around and noticed the havoc she had wrecked upon her living room. He turned to look at her when he noticed the brace on her hand.

“DID YOU DRIVE YOUR BIKE WITH A FUCKING BROKEN HAND!” He didn’t try to yell, but that was plain stupid. As much as she yaps at him about riding with injuries, she goes off and does the same thing.

“Pot meet kettle,” she snapped pushing him away as he came close to her.  A part of her regretted snapping at him but she was having a bad day so sure her. “What did you come here for?”

Sweet Pea watched with furrowed brows as she moved around her kitchen before pulling out a blunt and her grinder. He watched as she threw her dime bag on the counter and struggled to get the grinder open with a broken hand. He sighed as he moved over in her direction and helped. He even pushed her away so that he could roll the blunt up for her himself.

“I was worried about you. I needed to see how you were holding up," he told her casting a glance around her living room before concentrating back on the blunt. “Not well I see.”

Sapphire crossed her arms being careful with her hand. She watched him effortlessly roll up her weed before she muttered out, “Aside for the Serpents, I’m alone, Pea. I’ve got no one else. And have you seen the shit they’ve been saying about the Southside on twitter. It’s horrible. I don’t know what to do.”

He passed her the blunt and watched her pull a lighter out of her jacket, lit it, and took a puff. She held it out in offering but he just shook his head. “You need to relax. Everything will work out in the end. I promise.”

 _That’s comforting right,_ he thought to himself. She looked at him blankly as she puffed out a smoke and Sweet Pea let his eyes trailing over her.  Her dark hair was hanging messily down to her beginning of her back and her caramel skin was still lightly flushed from what he guesses was anger running through her veins. He watched as her dark brown eyes disappeared as she closed them to inhale another puff and the way her lips parted as she exhaled. The way the smoke curled in her front of her and Sweet Pea felt guilty. Here she was going through the hard time and all he was doing was lusting over her.

Sapphire’s eyes flickered over to Sweet Pea as she felt how intently he was staring at her. It made her nerves tingle. She noticed the way he seemed zone out as he stared at her before she looked up to his eyes and noticed how dark they had gotten. She saw the way he rolled his lips in-between his teeth and Sapphire’s heart stopped.

The last time Sweet Pea had looked at her like that was after the two of them were drunkenly running away from Toni and Quin, who had been on babysitting duties for the two of them by FP, and they hid in the concession stand to the drive in. Her hair had been hanging wildly around her face flying everywhere after the wind had fun with it. They had been holding onto each other giggling madly and trying to get the other to hush up when they made eye contact. Sweet Pea’s gaze flickered down her body to the V-neck she was wearing and the black leggings; his eyes growing darker by the second as he noticed how the two clung onto her like second skin.

It was Sapphire who had kissed him first tasting the tequila in his mouth as their tongue fought for dominance. It didn’t take long for them to undress and for the two to share a moment that Sapphire would forever remember. Once the two finished and cleaned their selves up, they went right back to the bar and continued drinking until Toni and Quin and FP and Fangs were quite literally dragging and carrying the two of them out. Sapphire remembered every detail of that night and she assumed that Sweet Pea didn’t, so she never mentioned it. As far as she knew, he thought she lost her virginity to one of the rich snobs from her rich girl life.

Sweet Pea _knows_ he was the one to take her virginity, but at the time it happened, he had only saw her as sister and he didn’t know how to approach her to let her know that without ruining their friendship. He hadn’t meant to grow feelings for her, but hell what’s that saying his Auntie used to say all time... something she got from tv. _The heart wants what the heart wants._

And sure, the two of them had been somewhat together over the pass months but it wasn’t anything exclusive. The two of them still flirted with whoever they want, but they both subconsciously drew a line not to cross. They both could honestly not remember the last time they got laid.

 _Ahh, fuck it. The best stress reliever is sex,_ Sapphire thought as she threw out the last of her blunt. She moved closer to Sweet Pea and noticed how his eyes seemed to grow darker with each of her steps. She had just been leaning up to kiss him when there was an excessive knocking at her door.

“Got damn cockblockers,” she growled as she twisted away from him and smiled when she heard his own breathy chuckle. She cleaned up the kitchen making sure to properly throw out the weed and blunt wrapper before moving back towards the door. When she opened it, it was once again Sheriff Keller but right behind him was Toni and Fangs pulling up. The other police officers made their way back to the door of her house.

“What do you want,” Sapphire snapped at Keller. _No one ever said she was reasonable person when high._

He held up the warrant for her brother’s arrest alongside a search warrant for permission to go through her house, “We’re looking for Joaquin DeSantos for his part in Jason Blossom’s murder.”

She sighed deeply, “I’ve already told you that he’s not here.”

Keller furrowed his brows and gave her a disapproving fatherly look, “We still needed to search the premises, ma’am. It's protocol.”

Sweet Pea walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her. Keller and the other police officers had the unpleasant experience of watching the four serpents hold a nonverbal conversation before Sapphire was once again sighing and Sweet Pea pulled the both out of the way to let the cops in.

“Search all you want. Don’t fucking touch anything,” she snapped.

Sweet Pea leaned down and chuckled into her ear, “How can they search if they can’t touch anything?”

“Bite me,” she snapped and moved away before he could reply. She went to stand in middle of the mess of her living room watching every move the cops made. She rose a brow when one of them look from the hole in the wall to the brace on her hand and smirked a little at the fear that flashed in his eyes. _Fucking wuss._

Sweet Pea and the others made their way to the living room and Sapphire’s eyes flickered over to the them when she heard Toni’s and Fangs’ intake of breath. “Saph…” Fangs started, and she could hear the pity dripping from his voice.

Her anger flared again, and she wanted to snarl. She wanted to punch another hole in the wall. Fuck she wanted to go back in time and punch Clifford Blossom in the face. She wanted, no she _needed_ to do something destructive. But she couldn’t. Not with the cops in the house searching for her brother.

They waited a few more minutes as the cops continued their search as if Joaquin was just going to pop out from under her bed or something. While they waited, Sweet Pea and Fangs got to fixing up the furniture in her house and Toni swept up the glass from the vases that fell over. She shot them a look because she hadn’t wanted them to do that before she went back to glaring at the cops. It didn’t take long for them to leave with Sheriff Keller telling her to call the police if Quin showed back up.

As if she’d sell her brother out.

Once they left, Sapphire glared at the ground before Fangs himself pulled out his own dime bag of weed and Sapphire decided that she need to hit that blunt because fuck them, the police blew her high.

The four of them sat around on her couches passing the blunt around and drinking some of the red wine she keeps hidden in one of the floor boards under her bed. Toni ended up leaving first because she had a meeting with Tall Boy about FP’s son coming to join their school. Fangs left afterwards because he had to babysit his little sister while his mother went to the jubilee on the Northside.

Which left Sweet Pea and Sapphire together once again. The two looked at each other before looking away quickly. Neither said anything. Neither brought up the moment they had hours before.

Sapphire had stood up to go grab the wine bottle that Toni had put it in the kitchen when she felt a hand wrap around her ankle. She looked down at Sweet Pea who was still lying on the floor looking up at her. Except this time, he wasn’t looking at her with lust.

He stared at her as she was the brightest star in the night sky. The one person in the world that always pulled your attention to them no matter how hard you tried to turn away. She was the light to his life like moth by lampshade. Like a cat chasing after a laser light.

“Sweets,” she questioned, her voice going soft as her heart started to beat faster. He sat up a little and moved his hand from her ankle and to her uninjured wrist. Then he pulled her down to his lap.

“We need to talk,” he spoke softly as he wrapped his arms around her. “A talk that’s been put off for a while now.”

Sapphire swallowed before turning to face him. “On a scale from water to the tequila that Joaquin probably left in his converse shoebox in his closet, how emotional do you think this conversation is going to be?”

He breathed out a laugh before making a face to look like he was thinking, “I say the rest of your wine, but I’m also hoping that it doesn’t get that emotional at all.”

Sapphire nodded her head before she slid off his lap and sat in front of him. “What’s it that you want to talk- “

“Do you love me?”

Sapphire choked on her spit. Her eyes went wide as she whipped her head up to look at him. “What?”

“Do you love me,” Sweet Pea questioned seriously. “Because, fuck, I never thought I’d end up loving you, but I do. I really, really do.”

Sapphire was starting to feel lightheaded, but it could be the buzz of wine finally kicking in. “Sweet Pea, I-I, yes. Yes, I do love you. I just thought you didn’t see me the same way.”

“How could I not? Look at you, Saph, you’re the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on and I can’t think of anyone else to spend the rest of my life with. You’re perfect for me.”

“Sweet Pea…”

“And I know I’ve done some shitty things. Getting you to ask other girls out for me or that time I took your bike to Tiana’s house to go fuck… but Sapphire Maria Stone, there is no other girl in the world that could even compare to you. These last few months have been shit watching you flirt and giggle with all those other guys and I tried to drown out my jealousy by doing the same with other girls, but it wasn’t easy. There is literally no other girl that could hold a candle to you.”

Sapphire felt tears gather in her eyes and Sweet Pea internally panicked a little and brought her back into his arms. He placed a kiss onto her forehead before continuing with his words. “I’m a jerk for not admitting this until now, I know… I can’t be sure if I would’ve said it any time before, we both know that I’m as inexperienced as they come in this area…”

Sapphire had started to cry sniffling every now and then. “Please don’t cry, Saph. I’m not worth your tears. I don’t even deserve to have you loving me.”

“You’re a big sap, you know that. Under all that anger and delinquency, you’re a big teddy bear,” she sniffled as she smiled slowly. “Sweet Pea, I’ve had a crush on you for years. Since like sixth grade and you walked into the library and threw Scott Reynolds into the sci-fi bookshelf because he had flipped Toni’s skirt up…”

“… I don’t care that you don’t think you deserve to have my affections. You are the only boy that I want in my life. By my side. The light of my life. And yeah, there have been times I wanted to wring your neck especially when it came to other girls but Pea, it’s just. I can’t even explain it. It’s just… you’re the one for me even if we grow up and fall in love with other people, you’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

The two looked at each other light blushes dusting their cheeks before Sapphire stood up from his embrace. She held a hand out for him to take and pulled him along with her. He did the gentlemanly thing and went outside to secure their bikes before coming back in and she locked the door behind him. She continued to pull him towards her room cutting the lights off as they went.

Once they made it inside, she closed the door behind them and both changed into their night clothes. The emotional turmoil from the day weighing down on them. Sweet Pea placed a kiss on her forehead as the two lied down in bed.

And that anger that had been bubbling in Sapphire’s blood? It faded away until left nothing but a dull ache.


	4. |three|

The next week came and Sapphire still hadn’t returned to school. Sure, she forced Sweet Pea to go but she’d rather not face anyone now. Instead, she pulled on a light blue wig and made her way down to the precinct to see FP.

Her eyes teared up as she sat across from him on the other side of the glass. All she wanted to do was to reach out and touch her father figure, but she couldn’t. And that was hurting her.

“Ria?” FP whispered softly as the tears followed deeply from her eyes.

“Papá, te extraño,” she cried out brokenly.

“I miss you too, Ria,” FP replied seriously. His heart breaking at seeing one his girls crying in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. “But it’s going to be okay.”

“How? Quin's gone and they’re sending you to prison,” she nearly yelled but she could never yell at FP. The guilt always hit her, and she never liked being on the end of his looks of disappointment.

“Sapphires are among the most durable naturally occurring elements in the world.”

Sapphire blinked momentarily taken back. Because only FP would google references to her name and spout them out for comfort and reassurance.

“FP, what?”

“I’m telling you this because Ria, you’re strong and you’re going to be able to get past this,” FP told her seriously. “And I need you to be strong and focus on The Plan.”

Sapphire sat up straighter. FP hardly ever brought The Plan up. It was just for a contingency.

“From what, Jughead tells me, things have gotten pretty serious out there. Something about a Black Hood?”

Sapphire nodded her head. She read about that. The Riverdale Register was trying to pin it on the Southside and especially the Serpents. But as of now, the Serpents moves have been put on hold. They don’t really take action because FP wasn’t there to give approval. Tall Boy was too busy watching over FP’s son to take the lead.

“I’m betting that they’re blaming it on the Serpents. We gotta be ready for anything they pull at us.”

Sapphire leaned forward just a little. “Do you think it’d get to that point?”

FP nodded, “I know it will. And I want you to be on top of everything. The Serpents integrity depends on this.”

_No pressure or anything, FP._

“Is there anything I can do to help you? Pay off people or anything?”

FP shook his head quickly, frowning just a little, “No, Ria. I plan on doing all of my time unless they can come up with a better deal for me.”

“Five minutes,” the cop behind FP called out. Sapphire’s flicked her gaze to his and glared death into his soul. FP chuckled at the anger in her eyes. He always thought when she got angry she was adorable. _Like a little baby showing off their mad face._

“Sapphire,” FP stated, and she turned back to him but this time with tears building in her eyes. “Saph, I love you like my own child. And I’m so proud of you. Don’t close in on yourself this time. You have more people that love and cherish you. Don’t push them away.”

Sapphire closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. As if she was in a movie, she put her hand onto the window and smiled softly when FP did the same. “Te amo, papá.”

“Yo también te amo, hija mía.”

The two smiled at each other as the guarded called out, “Time’s up”. Sapphire sat and watched her father figure be led away from her and she felt a small and almost atom like piece of her heart healed itself slowly.

\--

Sapphire had been at home watching My Babysitter’s A Vampire when she heard knocking at her door. She pouted and grumbled as she moved from her comfy place at her door to see Sweet Pea standing outside breathing hard with Fangs right beside him.

“What the hell you two? Get in here before you freeze!”

She grabbed each boy by their arm to pull them in and hurriedly closed and locked the door behind them once more. “Why do you two look like you just tried to race the Flash and got left in the dust?”

Sweet Pea took another deep breath before straightening up. She was caught off guard by the anger in his eyes and watched as he nearly turned around to put the hole she just got fixed back in her wall before stopping himself. Toni came in from the guest room in the back and rose a brow at the boys.

“You know the Northsider from that video I sent you?” Sweet Pea started, and Sapphire nodded her head. She had done her research before realizing that it was the same boy who had called himself interrogating her brother so long ago. “We just saw him. He tagged my ma’s shop. He just sprayed a big ass red circle onto the wall. When we confronted him about, you know telling him that he needed to leave. Well trying to intimidate him to leave. He pulled a gun out in our faces.”

“HE DID WHAT!” Sapphire screeched anger lancing her words. “I’ll kill that son of a bitch.”

She growled as she moved further into her house determined to go and get her boots, so she could go find that Northsider. Fangs grabbed her arm and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, Saph. We’ll handle it.”

Sapphire narrowed her eyes at him before turning towards Sweet Pea. His eyes were cast down, but she could see from how tensed he was that he was pissed. “Fine. I’ll let you handle him, but I still need to make a call.”

The three watched her as she moved back towards her couch before shuffling through her blankets to find her phone. She dialed a number and waited a minute before whoever picked up on their end.

“Punzie,” she started, and Toni let a smile creep onto her face. She knew what was going on. “Apparently, there are some walls around the Southside that’ve been tagged with a red circle. I need them covered up.”

Sweet Pea’s head snapped over to hers and he watched her intently even as she turned to look him in the eyes. “You can do the usual but the one by Hastings Street. Yeah, Sweet Pea’s family store. Make it a serpent squeezing a bulldog. Thank you, love. You’ll find the money in your account by morning.”

Her friends watched her with shock faces, but she just shrugged and sat back down in her seat. “Look T, Sarah kind of looks like you.”

\--

Sapphire was pissed as she walked through the medic’s house as all the boys were getting bandaged up. The sound of her heel boots catching everyone’s attention as she came into view.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail as she moved around the bodies all sporting cuts from rocks, small bruises, and broken wrists from being dumb enough to fight in the rain. She cast a glare over to her snake’s den and the young boys immediately flickered their eyes away in guilt. She’d deal with them later. _A detailed analysis on Othello should work as a suitable punishment. She knows how much they hate reading plays._

She continued forward through the house until she came to the last door on the right. Sitting inside was Sweet Pea and Fangs. Sweet Pea was holding a pack of frozen carrots onto his eye and Fangs was getting his ankle wrapped up. Sapphire cleared her throat and watched with delight as the two boys pale at seeing her standing before them.

“Saph- “

“Don’t ‘Saph’ me, Fangs. What the hell were you all thinking fighting in the fucking rain?”

“I wasn’t just going to let some pussy from the Northside come to my side of town and thinking he’s running something,” Sweet Pea exclaimed.

“And what if that Northie had a gun, Sweet Pea? Huh, tell me that,” she snapped as she clenched her fists.

“He didn’t. He gave it to the little rich bitch,” Fangs mumbled, and her head whipped towards him.

“I want you to repeat that carefully,” Sapphire hissed as she moved further into the room and closing the door behind her. “Say it again or I swear I’m going to knock both of you idiots out.”

Both boys flinched before Fangs repeated his sentence, “The girl. From New York. The Northsider gave the gun to her.”

Sapphire nodded her head and spins on her feet to leave. She just found something new to do with her schedule.

\--

If there was one thing that Sapphire loved about being the unseen heiress of Stone Enterprises, it was that all eyes were on her when she finally did make her appearance. After she left her boys at the medic house, Sapphire went home and dug through the closet in the guest room that Toni usually stays in. She searched deeply for the outfit that she had been waiting for this exact moment to wear. That next morning, she called up her publicist to make sure that her name was added onto to the guest list.

Sapphire had been sitting her Bentley and watched as former serpent Alice Cooper walked into the building wearing a gorgeous red snake-print dress. She turned towards her publicist, “Make sure you find out where she got that dress. I want it in black.”

And then she snapped her fingers for her driver to get out and open her door. Sapphire watched as everyone’s eyes turned towards her and a smirk pulled at her lips. Her driver helped her out and she looked up at him with a smile, “Thanks, Jacob. Tell the wife and kids I said hello.”

He nodded his head and handed Sapphire her clutch. She took a deep breath before walking towards the entrance aware of everyone who turned to look at her much like they did Mrs. Cooper.

Sapphire smiled sharply as she continued forward in her short sapphire blue romper. Her dark brown hair had been pulled into some fancy braided up do that she paid no attention to that her hair stylist had named. Her grandmother’s sapphire diamond necklace rested delicately around her neck and fell right above her boobs. But Sapphire knew what really had everyone’s attention was her Serpent tattoo on her thigh.

 

**** ~~~~

She watched with an amused smile as Hiram and Hermione Lodge scrambled up to her. _As if she would spend a dime on anything to get rid of her school._

“Sapphire, how wonderful it is to see you,” Hiram stated as if they were old friends. She raised a delicate and freshly plucked eyebrow at him before casting a glance around them.

“Mr. Lodge, a pleasure it is to finally meet you,” she replied respectfully.

“I must say it was a surprise when we received word that you were going to be attendance, but I wish it be no other way,” he continued laying the charm on thick. She nodded her head though.

“Yes, my schedule cleared up and I was… in the area,” Sapphire told him.

“Well we do hope you donate for the betterment of Riverdale,” his wife cut in and Sapphire’s gaze cut to her. She had a charming smile on her face that if Sapphire was anyone else would’ve won her over. But Sapphire worked with the likes Penny Peabody. She knew a snake charmer when she saw one.

“I just might. Though you’ll have to convince me,” Sapphire smirked at the couple. “If you’ll excuse me, I do believe that you all have chocolate covered strawberries at the desert table and those are my favorite.”

She moved around the couple and headed right for the table, but before she could reach it, she was intercepted by both the Lodges’ daughter and Alice Cooper.

“What’s a serpent doing here,” Alice hissed. Her hand tightening around her glass of champagne. She said it at the same time Veronica whispered harshly, “What are you doing here?”

Sapphire laughed lightly, “I’d watch how you talk to me, Mrs. Cooper. I have a friend interested in journalism and it wouldn’t even make a dent in my bank account to buy your little newspaper.”

The two of them froze before her. The implication staring them right in their faces. Sapphire watched with delight before she cleared her throat and held a hand out to Veronica. “It’s nice to meet you, Veronica. I’ve heard many _interesting_ things about you. I’m Sapphire Stone of Stone Enterprises.”

She paid close attention as the recognition entered both their eyes. For Alice, she was realized that this serpent wasn’t just rich. She was _The Sapphire Stone_ whose parents died when she was younger, and her adoption was kept under the tightest wraps that no amount of money you threw at her lawyers were getting them to spill. Hell, even her records went private to keep her adoption a secret. Alice’s eyes dropped down to the tattoo on Sapphire’s thighs and she couldn’t help but to wonder if the Southside of all places was where the young heiress had been living for so long.

And for Veronica, she realized that Joaquin’s mysterious sister was the other teenager with big pockets needed for the SoDale project that her parents tasked her to charm. A Southside Serpent that as far as Veronica knew really disliked anyone from the Northside.

_Oh, shit._

Sapphire smiled brightly as she moved around the two. “if you ladies will excuse me, there are some strawberries calling my name.”

Nearly twenty minutes later, Sapphire stood along the other guest as Hiram Lodge and his wife made their way onto the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen. A new story begins in Riverdale tonight.  A story about reinvention and aspiration. This building will be the first chapter of that story.  Luxury apartments, shopping, and even a golf course.  The Southside as we know it will be gone, replaced with a new Eden. So, let us raise our glasses to a brighter tomorrow.  Today, let's celebrate with a little music.”

_I think the fuck not, you trick ass bitch._

Sapphire watched with an unimpressed brow at the Lodge’s little speech. She pulled her phone out of her clutch as the couple descended the stage and the Mayor’s daughter and her little band ascended.

She sent a quick message off to her publicist. _Buy me Southside High and the Whyte Worm. I don’t care how you do it. Get me both. And throw in a little something nice too for yourself for your troubles._

Sapphire smiled when she received the confirmation text then blinked at the sight of the poster boy for fuckboys made his way over to her.

“Sapphire, how lovely it is to see you again,” Nick smiled. Sapphire wanted to stick her heels into his eye sockets and rip them out from his mouth, but she smiled back falsely and said, “A pleasure as always Nicholas.”

He turned towards the one of the waitress and grab two drinks before handing her one. She immediately narrowed her eyes. Despite his gentleman act, Nick never offered her a drink unless he planned on making some idiotic deal with her on his family’s behalf.

“What do you want, Nicholas? This an old dance now. You don’t have to offer me food and drinks anytime you want something,” Sapphire told him. Nick only shook his head lightly.

“Ah, you’re right. I don’t, but this isn’t for a deal this time. This is a drink to a brighter tomorrow,” he replied repeating Hiram’s words.

Sapphire hummed before clinking their glasses together and she drank. Nick offered her his arm and to keep up with appearances, she took it and followed him onto the dance floor.

Nearly ten minutes passed, and Sapphire thought she was going to pass out. She clutched tightly onto Nick’s arm to keep her balance.

“Are you alright, Sapphire?”

Sapphire’s thoughts slowed and moved to gentle hum. A feeling she usually only gets when she was high except it was more intense and her thoughts were much murkier. What’s wrong with her?

“I just need some air,” she muttered as she tried to find her footing to leave. She paid no mind to Nick holding up most of her strength and leading her away. She just remembered the way his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and the other planted near the top of her thigh and moving lower before she faded out of reality.

When she came to, the first thing Sapphire noticed was the face of Veronica Lodge in front of her and the sounds of someone getting their ass kicked not too far away. She blinked in confusion as she noticed she was lying on a bed with her dress halfway unzipped.

“Whaa?” She mumbled as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Veronica wrapped an arm around her and if Sapphire was in her right state of mind, she would’ve damn well broke it. But instead she leaned closer into her embrace.

“Nick drugged you and tried to- “

Sapphire raised a hand because she didn’t want to hear the rest of that sentence. She felt dirty. She had never wanted this to happen to her. Hell, she would have never wished that onto anyone. “He didn’t. He didn- “

Veronica shook her head quickly, “We stopped him before he could do anything more than unzip your dress.”

Sapphire nodded slowly as the people from the other room walked in. The mayor’s daughter and her bandmates. Even Cheryl Blossom. Honesty, Sapphire’s mind was way too cloudy to give a damn. They all crowded around her and led her out of the room. But even if Sapphire’s mind was murky, it didn’t stop her from turning around and stomping her foot into Nick’s balls as he laid their unconscious.

_You don’t know what the hell you’ve just done, fucker._

The girls walked with her back to Veronica’s home and helped her to Veronica’s room. She sat on the bed and she started to feel the tiniest bit better. Not a lot, but it was there.

“Someone call SP. My phone,” she muttered as the mayor’s daughter handed her a glass of water from the bathroom. Once she drank some of it, the fog started to clear up even more. Enough for her to glare at the boy, Archie, as he made his way to the room with them followed by Jughead’s girlfriend, Betty, and ex-lover boy Kevin. And a quite nice to look at male wearing a leather jacket.

Veronica turned a little to grab Sapphire’s clutch and went through Sapphire’s phone scrolling through her contacts until she got to the one named _SP_ with a blue heart and crown emoji. The phone rang twice before the other end answer.

“Thought you were out with your rich friends, Saph,” the voice on the other end stated the second they picked up. Veronica could hear loud music in the backroom, a bad rendition of John Legend’s _All of Me_ , and the sound of pool sticks hitting pool balls.

“This isn’t Sapphire. This is Veronica Lodge. We’re at Pembrooke Suites. There was an _incident._ ”

A beat before, “We’re on our way,” was stated and Veronica was listening to the dial tone.

A few minutes passed with Sapphire staring blankly ahead with tears rolling down her cheeks before a loud rumbling sound was heard. She lifted her head with and the others could see a light flicker in her eyes.

Veronica moved from the bed to go let the people in and got the shock of her life when she saw nearly the whole gang of Serpents outside of her door. “Where’s Sapphire,” the boy in front of her demanded. The same boy who Archie had got into a fight with a few days prior. A bit numbly Veronica moved to the side and allowed them in. Even more surprised to see Jughead with them.

She led the group back to her bedroom and held a hand out to stop Archie and Reggie from flying towards them. The tallest one, who Veronica guessed was SP, immediately moved to Sapphire’s right side.

They watched as Josie moved from her spot and the girl with the pink highlights moved in her left and the smaller and slightly buffer boy stood behind the pink haired girl in a show of comfort.

“Sapphire,” another man with long blonde hair stated as he moved into the room. Sapphire looked up to him and all the Serpents that were in the room and surrounding the doorway were shocked and quite honestly horrified to see the heartbroken look in her eyes as more tears spilled on her cheeks.

“What happened,” Jughead questioned looking at the girl in Sweet Pea’s arm. The legendary Sapphire that all the Serpents said he just _had_ to meet. The one who usually trains new recruits but had been extremely busy, so she gave the job to Toni temporarily. Sweet Pea tucked her head into his shoulder and let her cry as Toni ran a comforting hand on her back. Fangs glared at him pointedly before he sighed and motioned for everyone to give the three privacy.

Everyone walked out of the room and it was an awkward moment for the Northsiders to be faced with the small army of Southsiders.

“A boy named Nick St. Clair drugged her drink. He tried to... He tried to rape her,” Veronica told him. Jughead watched as Tall Boy spun around and punched one of the older Serpents in the stomach and the man barely flinched besides the grunt of pain.

“You got a picture,” Tall Boy, asked and Veronica nodded numbly as she pulled her phone out to show them. The phone got passed around for a few minutes to each Serpent as they all took in the boy before it made its way back to Veronica.

“We’ll see what Sapphire wants to do and we’ll handle it,” Tall Boy stated as the door to Veronica’s room opened and Sweet Pea walked out carrying Sapphire in a princess hold. Toni was carrying her heels and clutch and Fangs' jacket had been laid across her.

“She wants to press charges,” Toni stated as Sweet Pea hurriedly exited the room with Sapphire. “She wants to ruin him like he tried to do her and give it public attention in case anyone wants to speak up and a warning for anyone in the future in case he gets off.”

Tall Boy nodded before leaving the room with the other Serpents following. Toni and Fangs went to Jughead’s side before turning to the Northsiders.

“Saph doesn’t like you. None of you, but she thanks you for your help and **we** thank you for helping her,” Toni stated before she motions her head to leave. Jughead avoided the eyes of his former friends and exited the room with her and Fangs.

“Come on, Pea was taking her to the police station,” Fangs muttered before the three of them jumped back into Fangs’ car and sped off into the night.

\--

“He did what,” FP snarled from his end of the phone line. Sapphire flinched away from the anger in his voice and FP visibly reigned himself in. She needed him to be cool and collected and not bite anyone’s head off.

“Can you tell me what happened again, Ria,” FP stated softly. Her lawyer sat on the other side of her while Sheriff Keller pulled up a chair and sat to her side. She hadn’t want to talk about what happened without her lawyer present, but when it came down to it, she froze up. Fangs, who had been with her, had asked if talking to FP could help. Like she usually did whenever she was having a crisis and her world went for a loop. She had nodded slowly before Sheriff Keller had led them down to the visiting room and FP had been summoned.

 And he was not taking the news well.

Sapphire sniffled, “I had gone to the SoDale event because I knew that when you were working with Mr. Andrews that you were excited to complete it. So, I told myself that I was only coming out of hiding and going in your honor. I had spoken with the Lodges and their daughter and even Alice Cooper came to compliment my outfit. After Mr. Lodge’s speech, I had moved off to the side back by the food table when Nick St. Clair approached me. We exchanged greetings before he offered me a glass of ginger ale. After we drank, he asked for a dance and I went with him. About five-ten minutes later, I had felt hot and stuffy and I had need some air. I remember Nick holding and helping me but after that its blank. When I came to, Veronica Lodge was helping me up and the other girls… the mayor’s daughter, her friends, and Cheryl Blossom had come in from holding off Nick. They took me to Veronica’s house and called Fangs and SP to come get me and brought me here.”

More tears spilled out of her eyes and Sapphire was just so thankful that she had managed to be saved before anything worse than being drugged could happen.

“No llores, hija. It’s alright. Papá here.”

FP glanced up at Fangs who walked forward and wrapped his arms around the girl he saw as his little sister. “Sssh, let it out, Saph. Come on its okay.”

FP then turned towards Sheriff Keller and motioned for him to take the phone. When Keller picked it up, FP snapped, “Is that all you need from her, so she can go?”

Sheriff Keller sighed and motioned for the guard to come forward and lead FP off. “No, give her back the phone before I go.”

Keller rose a brow before he gave Sapphire back the phone who had raised her head to stare brokenly at FP. “Te quiero, hija mía. No lo olvides.”

Sapphire choked back a sob before she replied, “Yo también te quiero, papá.”

FP hung up the phone and stood and let the guard lead him out with his two in everything, but blood children watched him.

Sapphire nodded her head before standing up from her chair. Keller turned to her and lead them out while saying, “We got the reports back from the labs and there was an unidentified drug in your system and though faint as it may be, Nick’s DNA was found on your clothes.”

He moved back to his office and held up an evidence bag, “We also searched his hotel room and found this necklace, that I’m presuming belongs to you?”

Fangs nodded his head for her, “It was her grandmother’s.”

Keller and the lawyer flinched at the information.  “We’ll, uh, we’ll make sure to return it to you as soon as possible. You can go now.”

Sapphire’s lawyer turned to her. “We’ve gotten everything we need to for the case. You just rest up and I’ll call you about the rest of the details.”

Fangs mumbled thanks before leading the girl out of the room and back to his car and back to the Southside.

_“Fangs, you all can go kick his fucking ass now. But leave him alive. I need him for court.”_

 


	5. |four|

A few days had passed and somehow Toni had managed to convince Sapphire to return to the school. Her high grades and the money she funds it being the only reason she was allowed the two weeks of unexcused absences off.

                Sapphire grumbled but she went to the school in her simplest outfit to date. Black skinny legs, a random band tee, her serpent jacket, her favorite converses, and her hair thrown in a ponytail. She looked nothing like Sapphire anyone was used to let alone the heiress to her family’s company.

                She had been walking out of physics when it happened. The doors to the school burst opened and police started grabbing everyone wearing the serpent emblem including her. Sapphire screamed in shock and outrage as they yanked on her and threw her against a locker.

                She blinked, and she saw two officers throwing Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs on lockers further down from her. But she saw red when she saw her den also get pinned. Sapphire snarled with anger as she fought the officers even as she had been handcuffed.

                “What the fuck! Let me go!”

                The police said nothing as they carried her out through the doors. “How the fuck are you going to arrest me! I know you see those walking glitter sticks doing jingle jangle over there! I’m getting all of you fired!”

                She had been lowered and pushed into a cop car with Toni being pushed in right beside her. Both girls looked at each other with glares of anger before Toni nodded her head outside the window. She watched the mayor look at them being led out and tossed around like animals while wearing a smirk.

                _It is fucking on._

When Sapphire was walked into the station alongside the rest of the Serpents, she immediately smiled the second she saw her lawyer who rushed over and demanded that Sapphire be let free. The second the cuffs went off it took everything Sapphire had to not put her fist in Mayor McCoy’s face.

But she did walk up to the women and snarled, “You’re going to call every single one of their parents for a pick up right now! Or I swear I will take it to the judge that none of us had our rights read to us. Let alone the fact that you didn’t have a fucking warrant.”

                Mayor McCoy furrowed her brows at Sapphire, “And who are you?”

                “I’m Sapphire Motherfucking Stone, you old hag. And you just crossed private property without permission. I doubt you want to go in front of a judge with that!”

                Mayor McCoy bristled at the insult before replied coolly with, “Southside High is the town of Riverdale property.”

                Sapphire only laughed as she watched the police looking particularly angry that by law they had to free the same people they had just arrested. “As of yesterday afternoon, Southside High of Riverdale became the property of Stone Enterprises and functions now as a private schooling. Don’t believe me? My lawyer has the papers with her.”

                Her lawyer, Ms. Bow, stepped up behind her and fumbled through her papers until she pulled out the deed she had just picked up from the Sheriff and then showed off the printed email that came from the Mayor’s office in agreement to the payment. Mayor McCoy’s eyes furrowed as she looked at the paperwork in front of her before turning to look back at Sapphire who wore a bitter smirk.

                “Checkmate, _bitch_.”

\--

Sapphire had been leaning in Sweet Pea’s embrace as she watched FP’s son get ready for his race against the ghoulie leader, Malachai. She hadn’t wanted to come but her friends declared that she need to get out the house and what better way than seeing one of their fellow Serpents race for the ultimate control of the school.

She watched with an uninterested eye as Toni moved to kick off the race when Cheryl Blossom got in the way to do instead. But Sapphire didn’t pay too much attention to that. No, she paid attention to the way Toni looked at the other girl.

And though it disgusted her that Toni would hold interest in Cheryl Blossom of all people, she made a promise to herself to get them together. If Toni actually felt that way about the girl.

Sapphire phone rang, and an unfamiliar number popped up. A number with a San Junipero zip code. She answered the phone quickly.

“Hello,” she stated hesitantly catching the attention of her three friends.

The familiar sound of her brother’s voice comes through the phone and Sapphire swear her heart stopped beating, “Sapphire? Mi hermana?”

“Quin,” she stated breathlessly, and all her friends stood up straight as they looked at her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I heard about what happened. Are you okay? Are you alright?”

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “No. I’m not. Quin, please, I just… I need my brother back. Please. Everything’s been going to hell.”

“I can’t do that, mi hermana. You know that; not until everything cools down,” Joaquin replied from his end of the phone. But before Sapphire could reply, Jughead zoomed back down towards them and screamed for them to leave. The cops were on their way.

“Shit. I gotta go, Joaquin. I love you and don’t be a fucking stranger. If you’re going to be running off, the least you could do is keep in contact,” she snapped before she hung up the phone and placed back in her pocket. She jumped onto the back of Sweet Pea’s motorcycle and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She tucked her head in-between his shoulder blades as he took off down the road to the familiar sound of other motorcycles and cars revving up behind them.

\--

Sapphire watched with a satisfied yet broken smile as Nick St. Clair, battered and bruised, was walked away in handcuffs. Even mommy and daddy’s money couldn’t save him from justice especially not when other girls came forth and told their own encounters.

She was leaving the court house when his parents walked up to her and Sapphire tensed, but the only thing that happened was his mother hugging her.

“I apologize for what Nicholas done,” the lady sniffled. Her husband right beside her nodding shooting a look of disappointment at the door his son was just lead out of.

                Sapphire choked back a sob as she tried to smile, “Thank you. I’m sorry for bringing a scandal to your family name.”

                But his father shook his head quickly, “All that matters is you and those other girls received justice. I just hope this experience should open Nicholas’ eyes.”

                Sapphire only nodded because she didn’t give a damn about Nicholas’ seeing the light. If it were up to her, he’d rot in that cell of his for the rest of his miserable life. The three exchanged a few more pleasantries before Sapphire’s security team (made up of Serpents) were leading her away from all the cameras and reporters.

When she made it home, she was told to go change into something casual. She rose a brow, but did as asked before the older Serpents were dragging her out of the house and towards the Whyte Worm. She managed a smile as she saw how much room had been added on since she bought it. Enough for there to be room for the ones who couldn’t find babysitters during meetings. An arcade for when the pool table and dart boards are full. She had to deal with a lot of sulking Serpents who were sad and frustrated during the three weeks it was closed but it was worth it.

                The second she crossed the threshold she was awarded to the sight of all the Serpents standing before her with actual streamers and balloons covering the inside of the building. In the center of it all were Sweet Pea, Toni, Jughead, and Fangs. She smiled brightly as she walked into the building accepting hugs from everyone that came up to her, congratulating her on winning her case, and telling her to call them whenever she feels unsafe.

She made it to her friends and blew out the candle on the cake that Fangs was holding. “You guys… what?”

Jughead laughed a little, “We heard that you won, and that justice was served so we decided to help you celebrate.”

Sapphire smiled again and gave each of them a hug being careful to avoid the cake in Fangs’ arms. “Thank you.”

“Anything for my Gem sister,” Toni stated as she bumped her lip lightly against Sapphire’s.

“Well let’s get this party started,” Sweet Pea yelled and cheers from the other Serpents echoed through the bar. Someone near the back turned on the radio and music fluttered through the speakers. She recognized one of the songs from the mayor’s daughter band, _The Pussycats._

Sweet Pea grabbed her hands and pulled her to the dance floor as their friends went ahead of her. He pulled her close to him and held her body tight as they danced against each other. Sweet Pea watched as the music seep into her bones and it was as if it wiped away weeks of stress. Color returned to her face and her eyes seemed to spark. Her smile was brighter and filled with life as she through her hair every which of way.

He watched as her dark brown eyes disappeared as she closed her eyes to moved along to beat and the way her lips moved as she sang the lyrics. He felt a heat bubble under his skin as he looked at her. Sapphire’s eyes flickered open look at Sweet Pea as she felt how intently he was staring at her. It made her nerves tingle. She noticed the way he seemed zone out as he stared at her before she looked up to his eyes and noticed how dark they had gotten. She saw the way he rolled his lips in-between his teeth and Sapphire’s heart stopped.  

She hadn’t been in this kind of position with Sweet Pea in a while. She felt how his arm wrapped tighter around her around and pulled her almost impossibly close. The two of them were still looking in each other’s eyes as the tension spike around them.

Sweet Pea had been leaning down to kiss her when a hand on her wrist pulled her away and she spinning to dance with Toni and Jughead. Her eyes were wide as she let her mind catch up to her new predicament. Sapphire laughed nervously as she once again started to dance, but she found herself trailing her eyes over to Sweet Pea who had his eyes closed groaning at the loss opportunity once again.

A few minutes later, Toni was pulling the group off the dance floor and into the room where FP deemed as his office. Inside were presents sitting on the desk from each of her friends.

Toni smiled at her best friend, “We know that you can afford to buy whatever you want, but we still tried and its really hard to buy a gift for a person that has nearly everything.”

Sapphire laughed, “I don’t have a yacht,” she teased and grabbed the gift that Fangs handed her.

When she opened it, it was branded studded dagger with a snake carve into the hilt. Fangs looked at her smile, “Just so you can have more protection in case none of us are around.”

She smiled at him and nodded. She placed the dagger into her pocket already thinking of the perfect outfit to go with it. Then Jughead passed her a bag and she pulled out a shirt with her face on. A smirk pulled at her lips.

“Fuck me, I’m sexy as shit.”

They all laughed as she fists bumped Jughead. And took the gift that Toni presented her. “I was saving this for your birthday next year.”

In it was a scrap book filled with pictures from when Sapphire was nine and had first made friends with them up until the night of the incident with Nick. “Oh, my fuck, Paz, this is… wow.”

She hugged her Gem sister tightly and placed the book by the shirt. When she turned to look at Sweet Pea, she felt lightheaded at the sight of him down on one knee.

Fangs chuckled awkwardly, “Sweets, I love you man, but if you’re proposing to Saph, I’m going to have to kick your ass in Joaquin’s and FP’s honor.”

Toni and Jughead both laughed at his words and Sweet Pea mock glared at him. “No, I’m not proposing to her. But I _am_ asking her to be my girlfriend.”

And Sapphire’s eyes widen as she watched him pull out a box and opened it. It was a charm bracelet with two charms already on it. A small sapphire and a snake charm.

_Fucking cheese on a cracker. He just asked me to be his girlfriend._

“Fuck yes,” she exclaimed as the other three cheered. Sweet Pea smiled brightly before standing up to clasp the bracelet around her wrist.

“Call me, Sweet’s Pea, bitches,” Sapphire joked as she waved around her wrist. Sweet Pea snorted before they all nearly fell over laughing.

\--

Sapphire was in the gym with Sweet Pea and Fangs. She had supposed to been working out with them, but ultimately got distracted with the way Sweet Pea’s muscles moved. But she hadn’t wanted him to know just what was bothering her, so she sat on floor not far away and started playing on her phone.

Her eyes flickered over her timeline before she clicked off twitter and moved on to her Tumblr. She reblogged a couple of things, made a few gifs, and liked a few posts. But she was bored and hungry.

“Be right back, boys” she stated as she pushed herself off the floor carefully avoiding looking at Sweet Pea especially since he now had his shirt off. “I won’t be long.”

“Where are you going,” Fangs questioned from his spot by the punching bags. She didn’t glance at him either because if she looked at him, then she’d look at Sweet Pea and her hormones couldn’t take that right now.

“Vending machine,” was all she mumbled before she heard movement behind her.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sweet Pea stated. “We’re just wrapping it up now.”

Sapphire sighed a little before she leaned against the door waiting for the two of them. They did their cool down before moving around to clean up the equipment. Once that was finished, they grabbed their bags and headed out.

The three of them jumped into Fangs’ car before he dropped the two of them off at her house. Sapphire rose a brow because she hadn’t been informed that Sweet Pea was staying over, but she didn’t say anything as she waved goodbye to Fangs.

Everything changed the second they walked through door and locked it. One moment she was closing the door and the next moment she was pressed against the wall with Sweet Pea’s lips on hers.

He pulled back slightly at the gasp that escaped her before she was surging in and kissing him.

A groan escaped his lips and she pressed her hands on his face and kissed him with everything in her. He pushed her forward until it was as if he was trying to press her through the wall and continued to kiss her deeply. When he pulled back that time, his lips immediately latched themselves onto her neck and she was so grateful that she lived alone as she let out a loud moan.

He had a clear enough head to reach out and lock the door to the house before reattaching his lips to her neck. He felt her hands move up his back and to tug gently on his hair which a caused a low groan to escape him.

“Fuck, that was hot.”

Before Sweet Pea could make a comment, her lips are on his again and the kiss is fierce and full of love and so many unspoken words between the two of them that Sweet Pea nearly drowns in it.

She tugs on the stands of his hair again and Sweet Pea moans at the feeling. He slips his tongue into her mouth and takes pleasure in the moan he receives in retaliation. And the sound is so perfect to him.

He wonders how many different sounds she could make and how loud she could get.

Sweet Pea lowered his mouth back to her neck and placed kisses there. He sucks at the skin, pulling it in his mouth and massaging it with the flat of his tongue. He continued to pepper kisses onto her neck as she moved her hands from his hair and down to the muscle shirt that he was wearing.

He felt her cool hands press against his body and accidently thrust his lower half into Sapphire’s. She _whimpers_ at the pleasure as she bucked her hips to get that feeling of pleasure back. His mind went blank when one of her hands slipped from his stomach and began to rub vigorously at his length through his jeans.

He barely has time to process the moment before she disappeared from his sight and the feeling of lips kissing the front of his jeans.

“Fuck…” he manages as he felt the cool air attack his legs and the warm touch that wrapped around the base of his dick.

His legs threaten to give away as she wraps her lips around him as groans escape his throat as he melts into the velvety warmth of her mouth, the lapping of her tongue, and the impossible suction that exists in there.

He places another hand on her head- to which she responds with a muffled moan and a deeper bobbing. He wants her… No, he needs her, but he’s got to stop soon before her mouth completely claims him. And _dammit_ , is that the back of her throat?

He gently pushes her head away as he steps further out of his pants. He doesn’t say anything as she pulls him to her room with her eyes darkened with lust and her cheeks rosy. She pushed him down onto the bed and reconnected their lips as she rubbed her body against his. He thrust up against her and watch as she disconnected their lips to throw her head back in a low moan. He reached up and pulled off the hoodie she was wearing before ripping off her bra to trail his fingers across her nipples.

She had helped him remove the hoodie all the way and basically ripped away the tee he was wearing. Sweet Pea flipped the two of them over before he began kissing across her bare chest. He slid his hands down pass the tights and underwear she was wearing and rubbed his fingers against her folds.

That time she let out a loud moan as he traces a line of kisses to her right nipple, reverently guiding it into his mouth with his tongue as his left hand gently cups her left breast, softly massaging it with tender care and attention.

Her hand makes its way back to his hair-stilling him in his place as if he was even thinking about moving anytime soon.

He goes back to slowly, achingly, teasingly sliding his hand between her folds before his middle finger settles on her clitoris and make swirl softly and gently around it, occasionally pressing in to alternate the pressure. She let out her loudest moan yet as her pelvis involuntarily bucked against his finger in a desperate plea to continue.

Even with his hand still so far down, she pulls him back up towards her and kisses him fiercely. The sound of their moans as their tongues fight for dominance. He takes the plunge and slides his finger into her. She shuddered against him as he began to slowly slide the finger in and out, along with gentle, tender circles around her clit as she danced on the surface of her building orgasm with the abyss of curses, loud screams, and warm pleasure. But he could tell them as she grew closer to her orgasm.

There was a wild look in her eyes when he removed his finger from inside her. She pulls Sweet Pea to an upright position, turned him around, and pushed him onto the bed as her lust took over her.

There’s only one look when you’re in the grip of passion and lust, only one look where all you can think about is fucking someone senseless, and Sweet Pea sees that she has that look down to perfection as she hastily slides out of her underwear.

_He took a moment to curse for any other guy that had the pleasure of seeing her in this way._

For a moment, Sweet Pea is struck with how beautiful she is. His mind was constantly flashing back to times before everything went to hell as they rode and caused havoc across the Southside either with each other or with the friends. He remembered the first time they had sex in the concession stand at the Twilight Drive In. The time he took her virginity.

Then he comes back to his senses as he felt something smooth roll over his dick. He blinked as he felt the grip around his dick, holding it into position as she slowly lowers herself onto him. Powerful moans, repeated curses and many, many utters of blasphemous phrases fall from her mouth mingled with the moans of her name and outright pleasured groans from him, and while she completes her descent, she kept her hands on his chest while his rested on her hips.

She moans again as he begins to fill her completely inside, her hips slowly riding him as she begins accommodating his length, the muscles involuntarily were pulling the rest of him in. It’s all he can do to hold himself back, especially when she looks at him and sees the look of pure and undisguised love that was in her eyes.

The bucking increases in speed and strength as she feels the familiar buildup in her core, and Sweet Pea has to distract himself by moving his hands up her chest to focus on something other than his own buildup, to which she responds by grasping them and attaching them firmly to her breasts before returning her own hands to his chest.

The furious motions become almost bruising until, inexorably, she falls off the edge of rationality and into the acute lighting storm of orgasmic pleasure, throwing her head back and screaming his name at the top of her lungs, dragging her nails across his chest and letting her hips thrust against him in involuntary power.

_It probably didn’t help that he was thrusting back up in her to heighten the sensation for her._

Then he slowly slides out of her, makes sure the condom is still good enough to use, before he makes his way behind her. And when he slides himself back into her with a guttural growl from his throat and loud, high pitched moan from hers, with his hands firmly on her hips as her ass is in the air, he takes immense pleasure of being back in another familiar position with her after so long.

Causing a rhythm, Sweet Pea slowly started thrusting and he bucked his hips gently against hers. After a while they had begun a steady pumping and were again both moaning loudly enjoying the sensation of a perfect connection. He slipped one hand away from her waist and moved back towards her folds again rubbing teasing circles around her clitoris. He felt Sapphire clamp around him whenever he reached a certain depth, knowing he hit the girl’s spot and forced moans that grew louder with each snap of his hips.

He gripped her by her hair, his fingers tugging whenever he thrusted deeper into her. The moans of pleasure and pain that were coming from the girl were like music to his ears, as he continued to swirl his finger around her. A moan passed her lips as she flipped around with him still inside of her pulling him closer and tighter against her body. She wrapped her legs around him as she forced him to go deeper inside of her.

He couldn’t believe he almost forgot how good sex could be, feel so right and fulfilling. He didn’t want it to end.

He could feel his own orgasm build up as he forced himself to go slower inside of her. She whined as she arched up prettily against him trying to desperately get him to continue his actions. He didn’t say anything as he looked into her eyes again and kissed her deeply. She moaned even as he started to pepper her face with kisses repeating repeatedly, “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

He had plunged deeper into her when he felt his orgasm hit the edge and take control as she clamped down tightly over him. They both came with loud moans of each other names and breathed deeply at the end.

He slowly pulled out of her, tied the condom up and threw it in the trash in the room before crawling back into the bed with her. She gazed at him lovingly as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

“I love you too, Sweet Pea.”

The day afterwards, the two of them walked into school. Sweet Pea had his arm wrapped around Sapphire and she was back to her usual self. No more ponytails and whatever she laid her hands. Now back to carefully picked out outfits and hair buns, French braids etc.

They parted ways with Sweet Pea giving her a deep kiss right in front of a group of Ghoulies that were staring at her boobs. When they pulled away from each other, they became aware of the cheers from the other Serpents and both fought off their blushes. But the two did managed to throw smirks over their shoulders at their friends as Sapphire made her way into her classroom and Sweet Pea continued to his class.

The day passed on with many of Serpents coming up to the two of them congratulating them on finally getting their head out of their asses and getting together. They had been sitting in the back of their English class laughing together as their substitute parading around trying to get their attention.

Sapphire found it kind of funny, since you know, their last English teacher turned out to be a drug dealer.

“Excuse, Miss Anna, may I go to the bathroom?” Sapphire requested feeling like her bladder was about to burst. The lady nodded her head nervously failing in subtlety glancing at the serpent emblem on her jacket. Sapphire rolled her eyes before taking the pass to the ladies’ room.

She walked in and handled her business before she left out to see a figure with a black ski mask covering their face. She had barely managed to scream before a bullet was flying into her gut.

Down the hallway, everyone jumped in their seats when they heard the scream. The four Serpents left in the English class turned to each other paling a little before jumping out of their seats. They had just exited the classroom a second after a figure left out the door.

Toni ran towards the restroom and opening the door to see Sapphire lying on the ground groaning in pain.

                “Call the police,” she yelled as she ran to her best friend’s side taking care to put pressure on her wound. Jughead pulled out his phone quickly already dialing the number. Sweet Pea and Fangs ran into the room also but stopped short at the words on the wall.

**Serpent Slut**

                “They’re on their way,” Jughead stated before he too stops short at the words on the wall. Sweet Pea turned around furious glaring at the people crowding in the doorway trying to get by. He walked up to a small rookie Serpent and grabbed a fistful of their shirt. “Go get the rest of your den now.”

                Fangs had moved back to the door pushing everyone away as Sapphire groaned and moaned in pain. “T, it hurts.”

                “I know, Saph. Don’t worry, help is on the way,” Toni stated brushing the hair out of Sapphire’s face. A sheen amount of sweat adorned her face as she slowly started to lose consciousness from the pain. “No. No. No. No, Sapphire stay woke. Please.”

                Sweet Pea hurried back over to her side cursing the police and ambulance for taking so long. “Sapphire. Baby, look at me. Come on. Sweetheart.”

                Sapphire could hear the voices of her loved ones, but the pain was so overbearing, and she eventually gave in to the darkness pulling at her.


	6. |five|

When Sapphire woke up, it was to the concerned faces of all her friends, Tall Boy, and even Sweet Pea’s family. She felt a hand in hers and slowly turned her heavy head to look at Sweet Pea who was silently crying. She barely moved her hand an inch before his head snapped up to hers.

                “Saph,” he gasped, and everyone else’s eyes flew to hers. Jughead stepped out to call for a doctor as everyone else crowded around her asking her if she was alright. But then Grammy Sweets snapped for them to move back and give them space.

                The small lady moved forward carefully and brushed some hair out of Sapphire’s face. “You scared the shit out of us."

And Sapphire blinked because she rarely heard Grammy Sweets curse. “I told my Sweet Pea that you were strong and that’d you’d make it through the surgery. You get better now, you hear. Sweet Pea needs a strong woman in his life.”

                Sweet Pea blushed, but Sapphire paid no mind as Grammy Sweets placed a kiss onto her forehead. The medicine was still in her veins but some of the fog was clearing up.

                Jughead returned to the room with a doctor and Sheriff Keller right as Grammy pulled away.

“Miss Stone, its good to see you awake,” the doctor said, and Sapphire nodded her head the best she could. “Your wound is healing nicely. There was no lasting effects or damage, but we’re going to keep you in for a few more days to watch just in case of an infection. I’m just going to do a small checkup.”

                Sapphire nodded as the doctor moved around her checking the machines, “Vitals are good, and everything seems to move along smoothly. As long as everything keeps going fine and you don’t stress yourself, you’ll be out of here in no time.”

                As the doctor left out of the room, Sheriff Keller walked up to her, “I know this isn’t a good time to ask, but I’ll try to be quick, so you can get back to resting.”

                Sapphire nodded her head and inwardly laughed at sight of Grammy Sweets waving her fist around at the back of the Sheriff’s head.

                “Can you tell me what happened and describe the shooter?”

                Sapphire glanced over at Sweet Pea who had tightened his grip on her hand before looking back at the sheriff. “I had asked my English teacher for the pass to bathroom and when I came out the stall, there was just this man standing there. He wore a black ski mask and he had like these really sea green eyes. He was a taller than you and more buff. He had on this really ugly fake leather jacket and that’s all I could remember before he shot me.”

                He nodded his head, “Thank you for your cooperation. We’re doing our best to search for him. I hope you get better soon.”

                Then he took his leave. Toni moved to her side and held onto her other hand. “We told FP what happened.”

Sapphire winced a little, “How did he take it?”

                Everyone else in the room face’s scrunched as they remembered how much yelling had come from FP. It was loud enough to be heard all over the facility.

                “Not well,” Sapphire nodded as she took in everyone’s expressions.

                “That’s not all actually,” Fangs mumbled. “Um, we managed to get in contact with Quin. He’s on his way back here.”

                Sapphire’s jaw dropped. “It's not safe for him to be here!”

Jughead moved forward, “We tried to tell him that, but he didn’t care to listen. He’s on his way here whether it’s safe or not.”

                The five teenagers descended into silence before Mama Sweets exclaimed, “Oh, I almost forgot. We figured that you wouldn’t want any of that horrible hospital food.”

                She carefully handed over a bowl of their families’ infamous soup. The one where only Grammy and Mama Sweets knew the recipe to until _another strong-willed woman came into this family._

                It was also Sapphire’s favorite thing to eat whenever she went over to Sweet Pea’s house. Like her favorite thing and add on to the fact that his mother always fixed it when she knew that Sapphire was coming over for dinner.

                “Thank you, Ma,” Sapphire said gratefully as Toni let go of her hand so that she could eat. Once she finished, she listened to everyone talk about her as the medicine pulled her to sleep but she felt a kiss placed on her hand. She turned to smile at Sweet Pea who was just staring at her with most relieved look on his face.

\--

One week later, Sapphire was still in the hospital as an infection had creep into her wound. It had put a setback on her healing and it was enough for her friends to say fuck the rules and took camping out her room.

She had woken in the middle of the night to see all her friends lying around on the floor in her room. But what shocked her even more was the sight of the northsiders in her room. Even more shocking was the sight of Cheryl Blossom lying cuddled into Sweet Pea’s embrace.

As if she belonged there. As if she had any right there.

~~Like she had been there before.~~

Sapphire felt sick and turned her head from the sight. She looked to her side to find Toni awake and staring at the two of them.

“You know,” Toni whispered quietly. “I thought when she approached me this past week… I thought it was because she might have felt something for me. But I look at this and I don’t know what to think.”

Sapphire stretched her hand out and grabbed at Toni’s, “I doubt it’s like that, Toni.”

_It better not fucking be like that._

Toni turned to look at her with frustrated eyes, “I hope not.”

\--

When Sapphire was finally discharged, it wasn’t Sweet Pea who was with her to go home. _Oh, no_. He was “strangely” absent.

Sapphire was giving him the benefit of the doubt because she refused to be one of those jealous and clingy girlfriends. So, she ignored it and listened as Jughead and Fangs worked out a schedule for her to take her medicine while Toni chimed in on who would be on “Sapphire Duty”.

She laughed quietly to herself even when Jughead pulled out a notebook and wrote everything down.

When they pulled up to Sapphire’s house, they all looked on in shock at the sight of Sweet Pea standing outside of her door with his hands around Cheryl’s waist kissing her. Sapphire choked as she watched the two and she felt the anger boiled inside of her.

_How fucking dare, they?_

Tension rose quickly in the car, but none of them knew what to do with the pure undisguised fury in rolling off her in waves.

Her friends paused, but quickly scrambled into action as she threw open her door. She struggled out of her seat and tried to grab her crutch at the same time before Fangs helped her out.

“What the fuck,” she screeched at the couple who jumped at pulled a part at her voice. Her gaze pinned them both to their spots as she moved towards them slowly managing to look intimidating even while using a crutch.

“What the fuck is this,” she snarled as she moved closer to them. Cheryl grinned a snottily.

“What does it look like,” the ginger scoffed. She pressed her body closer to Sweet Pea and trailed a hand down his chest. “I was making out with my boyfriend before you so rudely interrupted.”

Sapphire almost fainted right there.

“Boyfriend,” she repeated before throwing her glare over to Sweet Pea. She felt tears build in her eyes before she refused to let them fall.

Honestly, she should’ve known. Why would Sweet Pea like her? She might have grown up on the Southside, but she looked like a Northsider. She was the physical representation of not being able to choose what part of the tracks she came from.

She was so stupid. Fuck, there was no way he could ever… he could have ever loved her. She was an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

“Get the hell away from my house and don’t come back,” she muttered as she turned away from them.

“NOW,” she yelled when they didn’t move. She didn’t even turn around when they scrambled off her porch. She just walked into her house and right to her room. She threw her crutch to the floor before lying carefully into her bed and crying into her pillow.

She heard the footsteps of one of the others enter the room, but she didn’t even acknowledge as she continued to cry. Sapphire sat up a little when she felt the charm bracelet Sweet Pea gave her poke into her skin. She pulled it off and threw it somewhere in her room.

Fangs watched the girl he considered a sister cry before grabbing her and letting her cry into his arms. He honestly couldn’t believe that Sweet Pea would even think to do something like that to Sapphire.

And even worse to do it front of the girl’s house.

_Oh, shit. How will the other Serpents react to this?_

\--

Two weeks later, Sapphire calmly walked pass the happy couple to her seat at the table when a passing comment caught her attention.

“I can’t believe that you used to date that,” the disgust evident in her voice. “You did the world a favor when you decided that me and you were better together.”

Sapphire snorted out a laugh, “Cheryl, you could never be on the same scale as me.” Sapphire had kept walking not paying her any attention as she sat beside Toni.

“You’re just jealous that Sweet Pea picked me. That I was the one to win in the end,” Cheryl stated haughty with her nose stuck in the air. Sapphire grabbed Toni’s hand under the table because she knew of her friend’s feelings for the red head.

“He’s not some prize to win,” Sapphire snapped avoiding Sweet Pea’s eyes.

“It’s alright, Stonewall,” Cheryl shrugged. “I treat him much better than you could have ever.”

“Yeah, okay, Blossom,” Sapphire laughed a little bitterly, rolling her eyes, and turning her back on the couple.

“Aw, did I hit a nerve?” Cheryl purred. “Is little Sapphire still a virgin?”

Sapphire still didn’t turn towards the girl.

“Virgin Mary,” Cheryl purred but Sapphire still didn’t turn around. “I know you hear me, Mary Sue.”

Sapphire dragged her eyes over to the couple and even made eye contact with Sweet Pea. Her expression was carefully blank. Sapphire stayed calm and collected, leaning forward and waiting for the moment to drop the bombshell.

“You ask your boyfriend if I’m a virgin,” Sapphire replied coolly as a smirk danced on her lips. The expression on her face was filled with humor. She watched with delight as Cheryl’s face dropped, though the girl looked skeptical. “No, seriously, ask him.”

When Cheryl huffed and glared even more, Sapphire laughed and moved over towards the bar to grab her another drink. She spent a few minutes speaking with the bartender and a few members of her den when she felt someone else coming up behind her.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t throw this drink in your face,” the voice of Cheryl stated from behind her. Sapphire turned to look at the girl and sighed in irritation.

“Because you’ll never get off the floor, bitch,” Sapphire shrugged before Cheryl did throw her drink Sapphire’s face and pushed her off the stool turning to walk back towards the group.

“Bitch, who the fuck do you think you are,” Sapphire growled as she stood up and yanked her back by her hair and threw her into the pool table.

“Back away! Let them fight,” Tall Boy called out even as their group of friends ran up to them. But Sapphire paid no mind to that as she dodged Cheryl’s nails and fists as she punched the other girl as hard as she could.

“I will break your fucking neck,” Sapphire growled as Fangs started to pull her off. He wasn’t prepared for when she locked her legs around Cheryl and with the right amount of force, she flew out of his embrace went right back to fighting with Cheryl.

“Sapphire! Saph, let her go!” But Saph couldn’t really hear them. The only thing that mattered was beating the hell out the girl underneath her.

It was because of the Blossoms that her parents died.

It was because of the Blossoms that her father figure went to jail.

It was because of the Blossoms that her brother left.

It was Cheryl who had lead Toni on only to get closer to Sweet Pea.

She was going to fuck this bitch up.

Sapphire was yanked back harshly before lips were planted on hers and that shocked her back to reality because no one kissed her without her consent.

She blinked, and Toni was staring at her in shock. She glances to the side to see Cheryl bruise with a bleeding nose being comforted by Sweet Pea and Veronica. She felt something wet and sticky on herself and moved her head to look down but hissed at the pain coming from her neck.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” Fangs muttered glaring over at the girl in Sweet Pea’s arms and walked Sapphire and Toni to FP’s office. He looked around for the first aid kit until he found it in one of the drawers of the desk.

He opened it just as Jughead walked into the room. “What do you want, JugJug? Cause I’m not apologizing,” Sapphire grumbled but Jughead shook his head.

“No, I just came to check on you,” he stated scrunching his nose up as she winced in from the disinfectant.

“Damn, Saph, she really did a number on you," Fangs mumbled as he looked at all the long scratch marks on her neck. “If she went any deeper with those claws of hers, you would’ve needed stitches.”

Sapphire winced, but none of them were prepared for the sneer that appeared on her face when Sweet Pea stormed into the room.

“What the fuck was that Sapphire,” he yelled.

“Don’t bring your ass in here yelling at me for defending myself,” she snarled. Their friends awkwardly looked away. The arguments that had been going on between the two were bad enough that Sapphire had stopped sitting with them in classes and at lunch. Hell, they didn’t even see her in the hallways anymore.

“You nearly beat her into unconsciousness,” Sweet Pea stated as he balled his fists up. And Sapphire’s eyes narrowed.

If there was one thing everyone knew about the two of them, it was their beliefs. Sweet Pea didn’t believe in hitting a girl, but Sapphire believed in if someone hit you first, then you had the right to knock their asses back out girl or boy.

“And she threw her drink in my face and pushed me off my seat,” she shot back wincing a little as Fangs finished bandaging up her neck. “Big whoop. She’s dating a Serpent. She needs to learn how to properly defend herself. _Daddy’s drug money won’t protect her for long_.”

“What so you thought you’d give her a free lesson,” he scoffed. “Just admit it, Saph. You’re jealous.”

And she flew off the table and yelled, “You don’t get to fucking call me, Saph. You lost the right to that.”

She shoulder checked him as she stormed out the room leaving an awkward silence in the office. She stepped back into the bar and everyone immediately went quiet at the sight of small girl as she left out the bar fuming. She didn’t pay attention to any of the Northsiders as she walked out of the bar and hopped on her bike before taking off.

\--

Sapphire made it into her house to the sounds of moaning and groaning and she had to take a step back to make sure she was in the right house.

“What in the hell,” she whispered pulling out the dagger Fangs had given her from her boot. She moved slowly through her house as the sounds got louder until she made it to Joaquin’s old room.

She fell back with a screech and near impaled herself with her own dagger.

“WHAT THE FUCK, QUIN! CLOSE THE DOOR YOU JACKASS!” Sapphire screamed as she rushed up as fast as her still healing bullet wound would allow so that she could run into her own room. She slammed the door shoot.

“I need brain bleach,” she moaned dramatically and wincing at the pain from her neck. She looked down at her hands before walking over to her vanity table, grabbing a wet wipe, and cleaning the dried blood off. She saw that her knuckles had bruised and split open.

_Huh, guess I punched the table a couple of times._

A knock sounded on her door before it opened to show her, thankfully, dressed brother. He moved forward to hug her and she moved backwards to dodge the hug.

“I don’t think so. You need a shower before you touch me, ya nasty,” she teased even as lover boy Kevin walked up behind him. She shook her head before walking and hugging her brother. "I've missed you, Quin."

"I've miss you, too, mi hermana."

Kevin had managed to catch sight of the bandages on her neck as her jacket and hair moved out of the way. "Oh crap, what happened to your neck!"

Sapphire flew out of Joaquin's embrace and raised a hand to the bandages before turning away, "I got into a fight."

"With what a werewolf," her brother snorted as he ran his hand alongside all of them. Kevin walked in further before looking at the small board on her door. "Um, this sign says you time for you to take your medicine."

Sapphire glared at both of them, "No, I got into a fight with Cheryl Blossom and Kevin, I feel alright."

What she didn't admitted that her side was burning like hell and she was pretty sure she popped her stitches. 

"Why did you two get into a fight," Kevin asked instead as her brother carefully unwrapped the bandages to see the damage. "It wasn't over Sweet Pea, was it?"

Sapphire snorted. "She threw a drink in my face so I threw her into the pool table."

Kevin gaped at her, but Joaquin laughed, "You always have had a bad habit of throwing people into tables." She smiled at her brother and hissed as he touched one of the scratches on her neck. They were still raw and sore.

Sapphire turned back to Kevin and carefully shrugged, "She was probably mad when I told her that SP was the one to take my virginity."

She moved out of her brother's embrace and walked slowly to not bring attention to the pain she was getting from her side until she blanked out for a second and was stopped from falling on her face by someone's arm.

"Saph, what?" Her brother asked her but she screamed out in the pain as his arm brush over her wound. "You nearly fainted!"

"I'm fine, Quin," she gritted out. "I just... fell asleep... in mid-air for a second."

"That's the same thing," Kevin pointed as Joaquin moved her over to her bed, but the second he helped her lay down she screamed bloody murder as the wound lit up her side.

_She passed out. Huh, she seem to do that a lot._


	7. |six|

Sapphire ended up spending another week in the hospital because apparently another infraction had been growing. It’d explain the slight burning feeling she had been feeling before that she kept ignoring.

But today, Sapphire was sitting outside of Sweet Pea’s house with a sense of dread. Grammy Sweets had wanted her over for dinner thinking that the reason Sapphire had wound had gotten another infection was because she wasn’t taking proper care of herself.

“You have to go in at some point,” she whispered to herself. She looked down at the light pink blouse she was wearing and acid washed jeans and her white combat boots before she got off her motorcycle. She ran a hand through her hair to try to tame it from the mess the wind made it before continuing up the small pathway.

She bent and petted Hotdog, the Third as he barked and yapped at the sight of her. Sapphire barely had time to knock on the door before SP’s younger triplet brothers attacked her in a hug. She beaned down and smothered each of their faces with kisses and loud smooches.

“Ew, gross, Sapphire,” TJ, the youngest triplet groaned while his brothers MJ and AJ swooned. Sapphire laughed a little before rubbing each of the triplets’ hair.

“Oi! I hope Cerberus haven’t been giving you any trouble,” Mama Sweets called out from her spot at the door. Sapphire snorted at the nickname she and Sweet Pea had given his little brothers.

_Sweet Pea_

Her heart hurts knowing that she was going to have to sit through a whole dinner pretending like everything was fine between them. Pretending that she didn’t want to fall in his arms and cry. Pretending that she didn’t also want to take the center piece off the table and smash it over his head.

Sapphire shook her head, “No, Ma. They’ve only hugged me, but you know I’m gonna keep an eye out in case anything worse comes.”

She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and didn’t take notice of Mama Sweets zeroing in on her bare wrist. Or how intently she looked at her and could physically see the sadness surrounding her.

AJ grabbed her hand began to pull her to the house, “Come on, Sapphire. We can play Mario Kart. I’m gonna beat you this time.”

_I think the fuck not. Mario Kart Champion_

“We’ll see about that, AJ,” she replied instead and followed Cerberus into the house. They paused for Mama Sweets to give Sapphire a kiss on the cheek and paused again so that she could speak and hug Grammy Sweets in the kitchen. Sapphire nearly drooled the second she smelled her favorite soup scent wafting in the air before Grammy was shooing her out.

She was pulled down the hallways and MJ had stopped in front of Sweet Pea’s door and said, “Don’t you wanna speak to Sweets?”

_I wanna kill him to be honest._

She shook her head quickly and gave them a little smirk, “I’m more interested in beating all of you and keeping my title as the Reigning Champ.”

She knew her deflection work the second the looks of determination dance onto their features before AJ was once again leading her towards their room. The game system had already been set up, so Sapphire took a seat in bean bag chair in front of the television while the boys each took their places back on their beds.

Per usual, she picked Wario because the triplets still hadn’t figured out that he was the fastest one on Mario Kart 8. The board was quickly picked, and they waited the standard few seconds before they began racing.

Of course, she won each round they played. She refused to lose to the little demons. This was just payback for all the pranks they used to pull on her.

When it was time for dinner, the triplets moaned and groaned about Sapphire beating them again. She only laughed and followed them back to the kitchen while carrying TJ on her back. Some would say that he was too big to be being carried around, but honestly, he wasn’t just the youngest of the triplets. He was also the smallest. He was so small that if it weren’t for the fact that three of them were identical, you’d think he was a single.

“Sapphire,” he asked leaning forward a little on her back. “Are you going to start back coming over?”

“Yeah, you haven’t been over in like three weeks,” AJ piped up from in of them. MJ had already run into the kitchen and more than likely claimed his seat and set aside a chair to make sure Sapphire sat beside him.

“Aw, did you guys miss me,” she teased dodging around the question. “I knew you liked me.”

“Don’t be stupid, Sapphire,” TJ groaned. “Girls have cooties.”

“TJ, I am literally carrying you on my back,” she snorted. She set him down as they made it to the dining room, but she froze the second she saw Sweet Pea and Cheryl fucking Blossom sitting at the table.

_Great, now I have to pretend that I don’t want to kill both of them._

The second she stepped fully into the room Sweet Pea and Cheryl both turned to look at her. Cheryl sneered at the sight of her and Sapphire childishly stuck her tongue out. She ignored when Sweet Pea scoffed and rolled his eyes as she took her seat in-between MJ and Grammy Sweets seat. Like her actual seat, Grammy has a name tag and everything.

MJ pulled on her sleeve and she leaned down so that he could whisper in her eye, “Who is that and why is she here? Why did Sweet Pea bring her?”

“We have to wait until Ma and Grammy get out here,” she whispered back. He pulled away to look at her in irritation and the look was so adorable to her that she couldn’t help but to tickle his sides and pinch his cheeks.

She hears the small conversation that Sweet Pea and Cheryl were having on their end of the table, but she tuned them out and continued to listen to the sounds of MJ laughter. It was another minute before Grammy and Ma started to come out from the kitchen with the food and Sapphire stood from her seat at the same time as Sweet Pea to help. There was an awkward moment as the two of them looked at each other and the tension spiked darkly before Sapphire felt a small hand on her wrist.

She looked to see MJ staring at her in confusion before she slowly sat down back in her seat. What neither of them had noticed was the looks shared between Grammy and Mama Sweets.

Sweet Pea carried on back into the kitchen to help bring out the rest of the food. Once that was finished and everyone took their seats, they all joined hands for Grammy’s “blessing” of the food.

“I just want to say that,” Grammy paused a little as she looked at Cheryl waiting to gauge her reaction. Sweet Pea, himself, grimaced knowing his current girlfriend wouldn’t be prepared for it. “Me and my baby spent too much damn time slaving over that stove so each every one of you little demons better clean your plates.”

Cheryl’s reaction was priceless. She looked so confused and lost. She had honestly no idea what was going on. Everyone but Sweet Pea ignored her as they began to pass the food around. Sapphire taken care to fix MJ’s plate herself because the little guy can eat to feed three grown men and she wanted some food to take home to her brother.

The table’s conversation was filled with idle chatter, but it was obvious that something was different. Sapphire and Sweet Pea weren’t making teasing remarks across the table at each other. They weren’t talking to each other at all.

Sapphire’s eyes flickered around the table to see Grammy and Mama looking confuse to what was going on, so she kept eyes on her plate as she casually asked, “So, Sweet Pea, how long have you been seeing Cheryl?”

Dead silence.

She looks up once again, but this time she makes eye contact with Sweet Pea and a bitter smirk crosses her features at the look of his betrayal. She rose a brow waiting his answer as she casually ate a bite of the spaghetti.

“I thought Sapphire was your girlfriend,” AJ piped up from his seat and both of their heads turned towards him.

 “Yeah, that’s why you bought her that bracelet,” MJ stated confused from beside her especially when everyone turned to take notice of her bare wrists. Sapphire sat back in her seat a little and watched as Cerberus bombarded their older brother with questions. She looked to her left to see the calculating look Grammy was shooting between the three teenagers.

“We haven’t been dating for long,” Cheryl said. “Only a few weeks.”

_Shouldn’t have said that darling._

“Oh,” Mama Sweets quipped. “How long are a few weeks?”

Since the first week after my stay in the hospital.

“About three weeks, Ma,” Sweet Pea replied, and Sapphire ducked her head to hide the look of heartbreak that crossed her features. She refused to look broken in front of the two of them.

“Three weeks,” Sapphire heard Grammy whisper under her breath.

“Three weeks ago, you were telling me about how much you loved Sapphire,” Grammy started, and Sapphire’s head snapped up. She blinked before turning to scowl darkly at Sweet Pea. Its one thing to lie to her. He didn’t have any right to lie to his grandmother. “You were even planning on giving her one of your grandfather’s rings. What changed?”

Sapphire felt her mind go blank. He was planning on giving her one of his grandfather’s rings? No. That couldn’t be true. He was probably just lying to Grammy to make himself feel good.

Sweet Pea squirmed in his seat at the looks of disappointment on his mom and Grammy’s face. He wanted to curse so bad and what made it worse was that Sapphire kept her head ducked the whole time. She took no part in the chaos she had just created.

“Things change, and people change,” he tried to shrug it off, but the look his Grammy was giving him let him know that this wouldn’t be the end of this conversation.

Grammy only hummed and continued to eat her food before she turned to Cheryl and innocently ask, “So will you be inheriting your father’s drug pin?”

Sapphire choked on her soup. _Fucking savage._

The triplets were looking around a little confused to what was going on, but Sapphire peeked at Cheryl to see her trying to fight off a scowl. _That’s what you get for thinking you could come in here and try to take MY place._

Sapphire broke off a piece of her bread and dunked it in soup before accepting the glass of lemonade that MJ pushed towards her. She took a bite of the bread then took a drink of her lemonade patiently waiting for Cheryl’s answer.

But it never came.

“Excuse me,” Cheryl said as she stood up from the table and walked away. Sweet Pea sighed and took after her. Sapphire almost felt pity towards the girl, but then she remembers that Cheryl started dating her boyfriend while she was in the hospital. If anyone should be getting some pity, it should be her.

“Well that was eventful,” Mama Sweets commented.

\--

Sapphire had been riding her bike down the roads of the Southside once again ignoring the doctor’s orders to do the exact opposite. She had just turned the corner towards the Whyte Worm when something… or rather someone caught her eye.

                A homeless woman sat on the curve. The No Man’s Land between the Serpents and the Ghoulies territory. She stopped her bike and that’s when she noticed the small homeless kids hiding under boxes a little closer to her.

                Her eyebrows furrowed. There were actual homeless people on the Southside? And she never noticed them? Sapphire shot off a quick text to her publicist before she hoped back onto her bike and continued to the bar as an idea began circulating in her head.

As soon as she got there, she had wanted to leave. Mainly because Tall Boy was outside, and he knew she was under doctor’s orders to not be riding her bike. He gave her the standard disappointed look before snapping his fingers. Two of the older Serpent lackeys came forth and took her bike. She watched them hook it up to the back of Fangs’ car before she gave an innocent smile and slipped inside of the building.

                Sapphire took another second to gaze around her and taking a prideful moment as she noticed all of the chairs and booths that had been added to the bar giving off the 50’s vibe. She continued inside of the bar before making it to where her group of friends were.

                A part of her felt a little guilty. She rarely ever spent time with them anymore. She was always coming up with different excuses to not see them. Heck, she was so deep into her family’s business that she thought the board would die of shock from seeing her so much. Not to mention that she didn’t sit with them in class and stopped eating lunch at school. But she couldn’t be around her friends.

                No, not when the northsiders were always around them. Always coming to the Whyte Worm because its where they can be without being judged and without their parents seeing them.

                _Oh, how far the mighty had fallen._

Another reason was because the Northsiders were always around. She felt as she trapped in a never-ending loop from seeing Sweet Pea and Cheryl cuddled up together or her giving him congratulation kisses every time he won a game of pool.

A part of her felt a little smug that he wasn’t winning as many as games as he used to. Guess without her around, his good luck was running out.

Sapphire continued and threw a mocking smirk in Cheryl’s direction when the girl turned to look at her. She even knocked on one of the unoccupied pool tables before she kept walking as the other girl turned away sneering.

_Bitch._

The second Sapphire got into the view of her friends... Toni, Fangs, and Jughead were flying out of their seats to hug her. She laughed lightly and hugged them back just as tightly as they were doing her.

“Sapphire,” Fangs started. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

She chuckled awkwardly as they pulled away before she was pulled into a hug by her brother. Yes, she has even been managing to avoid him and they live in the same house.

“I actually need a favor,” she laughed awkwardly. The four of them looked at her wondering what it is she wanted before she turned and stood on the closest table to her.

“Get some paper out,” she told them before facing everyone and looking at Joaquin so that he could let out a loud whistle.

 Immediately all eyes landed on her and she waited a second for things to quiet down.

“Everyone, now that I have your attention,” she started. “I just want everyone to know that I have a new project going on. This project will not include any buildings being closed down…”

She laughed right alongside everyone else at their loud sighs of relief. “You all know me. You’ve known me since I was a little girl growing up inside of my family’s manor by myself. Most of you had even came to my parent’s funeral. Some of you have babysat me, helped me with homework, and taught me how to cheat at tag.”

“That was me,” Pamela yelled from her seat at the bar. Another laugh went through the crowd.

“You all have accepted me into your family and into your community. Now I want to do the same for other people,” she continued. “I’m actually ashamed to say this, but today was my first time ever seeing homeless people on the streets of the Southside. Its getting closer to winter and I doubt any of them have anywhere to go. And it wasn’t just homeless men and women. There were children on those streets.”

She watched how all of them looked around uneasy. None of them liked the thought of someone living on the streets let alone on the streets during winter. “I’m offering the proposition of opening up Stone Manor to serve as homeless facility for the time being.”

She looked down at her feet to see Toni, Jughead, Quin, and Fangs each with paper in their hands. “I’m asking for your help as my family to help me bring some happiness into their lives. If you do wish to lend a hand, please come forth. Toni has the list for those that can help with food. Fangs, has the list for those to help with clothing. Jughead and Joaquin have the lists for those to help round them up.”

People began to move but she tapped Joaquin’s arm and he let out another loud whistle. “Wait, I’m not finished.”

“Once I leave here, I will be heading straight to Stone Manor to open the doors. I want to do this as soon as possible,” and with that she stepped off the table as everyone rushed forward to crowd around her friends.

_I should stay and help with that._

_Nah._

She continued towards the doors and had to pause when she remembered that her bike was locked onto the back of Fangs’ car. But in the next second a smirk crossed her features when she caught sight of her brother’s bike. Sapphire chuckled lightly to herself before pulling out her phone sending a message to Mama and Grammy Sweets to bring basically all the supplies off their shelves promising to transfer money into the store’s account the next day. She pulled out her brother’s key from her keyring and took off down the rode and straight towards her old home.

It didn’t take long for her to get there. And she took a moment to take in the beauty of it. Even eight years later, the lawn was still cut to a crisp and the bushes were freshly wacked. No weeds were in the flower bed.

From the outside, she could almost believe that she grew up in this Manor. But she shook her head quickly and entered the gate code to get in. _6998_

She rode the bike through the driveway before making her way up to the door. She pulled out the house key from the keyring and opening the door. She swore it sounded like the house said _Welcome Home_ as she opened it.

Sapphire made her way through the manor as long forgotten memories pushing their way forward as she looked through each room. She remembered her lawyer saying that the cleaners still came every week to keep the manor clean. Sapphire had avoided going anywhere the manor, so it made sense on why she never saw them.

She sighed and made her way towards the breaker room to cut back on all the lights and the ventilation system. Honestly, she was just flicked on all the switches to turn everything that needed to be on. She waited another five minutes before she heard a vehicle pulling up as she makes her way back down the hallways.

She opened the door to see Mama and Grammy Sweets in their family truck with some of the boys from her den pulling up behind them. The triplets jumped out the truck and ran right for her and giving her hugs before running through the hallways of the manor.

“Don’t go too far,” she yelled after them before making her way outside to her den with some of the boxes of supplies. Shampoos and conditioners, soaps and bath wash for sensitive and dry skin, pads and tampons. Medical supplies. She even took notice of the Serpent’s medic pulling up to the manor.

“Come on boys,” Sapphire stated. “I’ll show you where to put these boxes.”

She motioned for not only her den to follow but also for the medic to follow them as Grammy and Mama Sweets unloaded a few more boxes and sat on them on the ground. She led her den into one of the family ballrooms easily making her way to it as if she had been walking those halls forever.

As the boys placed their boxes down and went back to get more, she showed the medic a separate room for them to unload their own supplies in and to set up. While they did that, she headed back towards the front and was rewarded with a small group of beings with bags of food following behind Toni.

Sapphire only nodded as she headed in the direction of the kitchens motioning for Toni and the others to follow her.

“Fangs and his group should be here soon,” Toni told her once they made it to their location. Sapphire smiled at her best friend before she walks back towards the front. She ended having to walk back to the kitchen to lead Grammy and Mama Sweets there before she once again headed for the front right as Fangs and his group were walking in with boxes and big bags filled with clothes.

She leads them towards the ballroom with the supplies from Grammy Sweets’ store. Tall Boy moving into motion ordering everyone to unpack everything and sort them out by sizes and age appropriateness. Fangs had pulled her aside before she moved to leave, “This. This is why you’re basically the Serpent Princess, Saph. You deserve the world. Give it some time. It won’t be long before Sweet Pea comes back to his senses.”

“I’m not doing this for him, Fangs,” she whispered harshly taking it into mind of the people surrounding her.

“I know you’re not,” he stated. “I’m only stating facts. You deserve the world and when he gets his head out his ass, he’ll do his best to give it to you. Otherwise I’ll have to kick his ass.”

She ended up laughing lightly and accepting the kiss on the forehead he gave her as he pulled away, so they could both go back to their respective duties. When she made it to the front, her brother and Jughead (and the Northsiders) were pulling up to the manor with dozens of cars following behind them.

She blinked at the sight. She had only saw a small handful of homeless people, but it was obviously more than she had previously knew. Guilt hit her full force before she pushed away. She was going to make things better for them. She was going to help them.

As they all walked through the doors, she motioned for them to follow her to the ballroom so that they could choose their clothing. She’d wait for everyone to claim what they need before she steps back to let Fangs and Jughead choose rooms for them to stay in. Cause she wasn’t that good at it and she swore the two of them could do a damn well good job when it comes to planning and organizing things together.

As all the kids and adults walked around finding things for them to claim as their own, Sapphire pulled Jughead away and rolled her eyes at blondie with the ponytail.

“I have a proposition for you, JugJug,” she stated as innocently as she could. He rose at brow at her unconvinced, but she only smiled.

“I know since what went down with Mr. P that the Red and Black has been lacking,” she almost trailed off at the sight of Sweet Pea walking into the room with only a muscle shirt on before she abruptly turned away. She cleared her throat before looking back at Jughead.

_“How would like to be the new writer and editor for Southside Segments?”_


	8. |seven|

Loud. Very loud moaning was bouncing off the walls of the Whyte Worm. The two of them had supposed to been here setting up weeks early for a Christmas party, but they ultimately got distracted.

Sapphire arched her back off the bar counter at one flick of his tongue. She couldn’t remember how the two of them ended up in this position, but she did know her underwear was lying somewhere in the bar in shreds. She also knew that the two of them were definitely not supposed to be having this moment but from the moans of pleasure coming from the both of them… well they couldn’t really give a damn.

Her head fell back, and her fingers searched desperately for something to grab on to with each of flick of his tongue. He pushed a finger inside of her followed by another when he thought she was ready. Her hands made their way to his hair slightly tugging when he curled his finger inside of her. She wasn’t going to last very long if he kept that up.

But that still didn’t stop the disappointed whine that escaped from her lips when he pulled away. Her eyes flickered towards him as he started to crawl back up her body places kisses here and there across her stomach and chest. He paused once he made it back her boobs. He took care to once again suck on them leaving even more hickies and pulling on the nipple gently with his teeth.

He dug through his jeans which had somehow managed to not fall off and grabbed a condom from inside one of the pockets. He pulled it over himself quickly.

“Are you ready,” he questioned softly. He was giving her a chance. To back away and put it behind them. But they had already come so far, and Sapphire would be damned if they turned away now.

“Yeah,” she breathed out and he kissed her as he slowly pushed himself inside of her. Her hands slipped around his neck pulling him closer to her as his hips began to move in slow thrusts. One his hands reached down to pull her leg around his waist as he started to move slightly faster. She wrapped her other leg around him and locked her ankles together pushing him in deeper. Both of them let out low moans at that action.

His forehead came to rest on hers as she started to meet him thrust for thrust. Small grunts left escaped him with every thrust and Saph could feel her orgasm bubbling under her skin.

When one of his hands found its way in-between their bodies and his middle finger rubbed against her clitoris, her orgasm exploded in a wave of ecstasy as she rode out her climax her eyes squeezing shut. The sensation only heightened as he continued to thrust into her as his own orgasm started to reach its peak.

At one particularly loud moan from her, he crushed his lips onto hers and kissed her deeply. The wave of ecstasy slowly ebbed away as she began to bask in her afterglow right as he groaned loudly against her lips with her name dripping off his tongue like sin.

The two of them disconnected and he pulled off the condom to throw it away as they breathe heavily both still coming down from their respective highs.

Her eyes slid over to him taking in the sight of him shirtless and still basically naked. His cheeks were still slightly rosy, and she watched the muscles in his arms stretched as he ran a hand through his hair. Her eyes flickered around the room before she moved to reach for her clothes when she saw the way his head whipped towards her.

He reminded her of a puppy. An angry puppy but still a puppy. One that hardly ever got angry with her.

“Fangs,” she questioned as the two looked at each other. Both very aware of the heat beginning to burn in their veins again.

“Ahh fuck it,” she moaned before she moved to straddle him. “My turn now.”

\--

Sapphire had been asleep when she got the phone call. The loud ringing shocking her awake so badly that she nearly fell off the bed. She groaned as she patted around searching for her phone until she found it. She didn’t look to see who had called her.

“Hello,” she answered groggily. A part of her already falling back asleep. Her eyes shot open at the next words she hears from Toni.

“He’s out, Saph.”

\--

Sapphire walked into the police station looking exactly how most would expect the Heiress to Stone Enterprises to look. She didn’t pay any mind to anyone else as she made it to the room where everyone else was.

She stopped and paused in the doorway as she took in the sight before her. Tears had already begun to gather in her eyes. Tears of relief and happiness. She let out a sob catching everyone’s attention.

He let go of his son and stepped towards her. “Ria…”

And that was all it took before she runs into his arms and holds onto him tightly. “Papá.”

FP was relieved to have her back in his arms. He reached an arm out to pull Jughead into the hug. This was his family and he made the promise to himself to never leave them again as he hugged them tightly.

“I believe this calls for a celebration,” FP heard Betty Cooper say. He watched as Jughead pull away so that Betty could step forward to give him a hug, but Sapphire didn’t move an inch. He had a feeling she wasn’t going to leave his side for a while.

And he was right. The whole night of the party at the Whyte Worm she was by his side not even sparing any of her friends a glance. He didn’t mind though. He could see the absolute relief in her eyes anytime she looked at him. It was as if she was getting younger by the second as weeks’ worth of stress started to fade away from her face making her look like the bubbly pessimistic teenager he had left behind.

\--

A week had passed since FP had got out of jail and everything with the Serpents started to run more smoothly. Even the Ghoulies knew to back off with how fast production started roll out as FP quickly resumed his leadership throwing off the Ghoulies jingle jangle transactions.

Sweet Pea had just come back from a run for a guy who thought that since FP had been in jail and Tall Boy had been busy that he could skip out on payments. He thought he had got off scotch free until he saw Sweet Pea sitting in the chair of his office.

Needless to say, he paid all his money plus the interest.

Sweet Pea was walking down the hallways of Southside High when caught sight of a couple making out in front of Sapphire’s locker.

 _Sapphire_. Fuck, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He had never thought to hurt her. But Cheryl… she was there for him the whole time Sapphire was in the hospital that week and a half. She kept him company whenever he wasn’t with Sapphire or she wasn’t with Toni.

He couldn’t remember exactly what had possessed him to kiss her that day. The two of them both had been shocked by his actions. Maybe it was because she was prancing around Sapphire’s house where he had been cooped up dressed so much like her. He thought maybe it was just a rich girl thing, but he also saw where the two had their differences in style. Where Sapphire was dark and edgy and lots and lots of leather; Cheryl was everything he thought a Northsider to be except with a small edge that seems to surround people from high class families. As if they were hiding dark secrets that no one could ever figure out.

Sweet Pea was brought back to reality the second the boy let out a low moan and the girl shushed him. His footsteps caught their attention and he paused when he realized the girl in question was Sapphire.

 _His Sapphire_.

Her eyes widen at seeing him and he saw a flash of something cross her features before her face turned unreadable. The boy looked between them in fear. Everyone in school had knew the consequences of getting close to Sapphire.

Some nice broken bones did the trick.

But he couldn’t do anything now. He had no right to, so he was forced to watch as Sapphire pulled the boy’s face back towards her own and kissed him with everything she had all the while keeping eye contact with Sweet Pea.

He watched as she pulled away from the kiss and moved to the boy’s neck pulling and licking at the skin leaving hickies for everyone to see. And she kept eye contact the whole time. He saw the amusement in her face as the boy let out a low groan before he jumped and pulled away from Sapphire when Sweet Pea’s fist connected with a nearby locker.

He kept walking and refused to turn around to see those same dark chocolate eyes staring after him in amusement.

\--

Despite Sapphire’s and Fangs’ night of passion, the two of them continued to behave as if nothing had changed between them. Because nothing had changed. They knew where they stood with each other and were quite happy with their friendship.

And besides, Fangs knew that even if Sapphire wouldn’t admit to it that she was still so very deeply in love with Sweet Pea.

That’s why it came to a surprise to him and SP when they pulled up to Toni’s uncle’s trailer to the sight of Sapphire straddling Toni and kissing her. Toni’s hands were halfway up Sapphire’s shirt while Sapphire had her hands in Toni’s hair.

Both boys were starting to get uncomfortably hard at the sight and sounds of undeniable sin coming from the girls as they got fully into it.

Sapphire pressed down a little more which led to Toni falling backwards to lye down on the couch and Sapphire grinded her hips down on her. Sapphire had just pulled her hoodie off while Toni worked to get her bra off at the same time when Sweet Pea groaned a little.

Both girls screamed as they jumped apart as they whipped around to look at them.

Sweet Pea and Fangs had managed to get a clear view of Sapphire’s chest before she slipped her hoodie back on. And Sweet Pea also noted that her blank face was back on in his presence. The four of them sat awkwardly looking at each other before Sapphire’s phone went off. She opened it and sighed before she stood up to leave.

“I have to go,” she stated looking at Fangs and Toni completely ignoring Sweet Pea’s existence. “I have an appointment”

\--

The appointment she had was with FP to take her to the Serpents’ tattoo artist. He had an off day since there hadn’t been any new recruits or people wanting tattoos.

But Sapphire wanted one.  The empty and angry feeling she had in her chest needed to be acknowledge. She never wanted to forget that feeling for as long as she had the ability to remember. What better way to do so than to get something permanent?

“Are you sure you wanna do this, Ria,” FP questioned from where he was turned around as Sapphire stripped of her shirt and pants.

“Yeah, FP,” Sapphire replied once she sat down and got comfortable. FP turned back around careful to keep his gaze away from her body because he didn’t want to perve on the girl he saw as a daughter. Though he did watch the tattoo artist in case he had any ideas. “I really want to.”

“Okay,” was all he said as the familiar whirring of the tattoo gun began.

It took a couple of hours but once it was done, Sapphire carefully got redressed and FP paid the man. He picked Sapphire up ignoring her whining for how she was old enough to pay for herself and carried her back to the truck.

“You know how to take care of that, right,” he teased after he got in and started back towards her house. “I don’t have to go over it again.”

Sapphire snorted, “No, you don’t.”

It was quiet for a few moments before FP started up again, “What’s going on between you and Sweet Pea?”

Sapphire tensed, and her hand raise to touch her wrist before it abruptly dropped. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

He could hear the bitterness in her voice, the anger and the frustration. He took a glance over to her and saw the blank look on her face at the very mention of him. He watched as her hands balled into fists before she relaxed them as he turned back to the road. “Well, whatever happened then Sweet Pea’s an idiot for letting you go.”

His words had the desired effect as he cast another glance to her. A small shy smile, but a smile none the less appeared on her face. A moment too soon it dropped. He noticed as she started to tap alongside her wrist before she whispered, “He was my idiot though.”

He pulled into her yard just in time for her to shed tears and for him to reach over and hold her so that she could cry in his arms.

“I just don’t understand, FP. What did I do wrong? How come he doesn’t love me,” she cried out as he held onto her tighter. “And now I gotta look her in her eyes and see she’s has half of me and she’s not even half of me!”

“Come on, Ria. Let it out.”

And she did. Weeks’ worth of frustration, heartbreak, anger, and every other negative emotion balled up and amplified were finally set free. She cried for so much and so long that she eventually cried herself to sleep with little sniffles escaping her here and there as he carried her into the house and to her room.

He wanted to talk to Sweet Pea about Sapphire, but if there was one thing he prided himself on was not getting in the way of the relationships between the Serpents. Especially Sweet Pea and Sapphire. All he could do was go home and hope for the better.

As he was leaving out of her room, he noticed a small bracelet lying on the floor. A charm bracelet. A small blue sapphire diamond and snake charm hung off the chain. He spared a glance at her before placing the bracelet onto her vanity before finally walking out the door.

\--

After weeks of avoidance, Sapphire was making her way back into the cafeteria of Southside High. Though it was cold outside, Sapphire was dressed in her usual crop top but this time she wore a faux fur jacket over it and had on ripped skinny leg jeans all to show off her new tattoos.

The one now on her left leg was made to look like a snake slithering into her skin and the other was placed right under her boobs peeking out a little. Not many could see it but it was a snake squeezing a heart. Sapphire also knew that she wanted at least one more snake themed tattoo, but she couldn’t think of any at the moment.

But the second her foot crossed the threshold into the cafeteria, everyone went quiet even the Ghoulies. Sapphire rose a brow as she looked around at everyone before flicking her hair over her shoulder and making her way towards the Serpents section.

_“Holy fuck, it’s the Queen of the Kingpin.”_

_“Fuck, Sapphire’s gotten sexier.”_

_“Dude that tattoo is fucking fire!”_

_“Oh my gosh, didn’t you hear Sapphire and Sweet Pea had broken up?”_

_“Damn, it’s the other half of Southside’s Gems.”_

_“Didn’t you remember when she got shot?”_

_“Serpent Slut.”_

At that last one, Sapphire turned around and punched the boy who said that in the face. She didn’t stop to see if she broke his nose or not as she headed towards her seat beside her friends plus Sweet Pea. Sapphire did hear footsteps behind her, so she could only guess the boy was storming up to her, but he didn’t very far before her den was surrounding her and blocking his way.

She laughed lightly even as her den moved to start beating the boy as she slid into her seat beside Toni and stole a couple of fries from Fangs’ plate. Sapphire flicked her eyes up to see the students still staring at her even as her den broke away from the crumpled and still breathing boy on the floor.

“What the hell are you looking at,” she hissed with a poisonous tone and conversations immediately started back.

“Decided to once again grace us with your presence your highness,” Sweet Pea sneered but Sapphire just continued to the eat fries she kept stealing from Fangs’ plate.

“Its good to have you back Saph,” Toni stated from beside Sapphire and she turned to smile at her.

“Its good to be back, Paz,” Sapphire smiled. That’s one of things Sapphire loved about Toni and Fangs. Even if she had moments with the two of them neither behaved as if anything changed in their friendship.

Sweet Pea scoffed as he realized that Sapphire was going to be childish and pretend he didn’t exist. He watched her with dark eyes as she turned to start a conversation with Jughead. He took in her appearance his eyes stopping at the tattoo on her chest playing peek a boo. He couldn’t make out just what it was, but he hadn’t had the time as it once again became quiet in their section.

Sweet Pea turned a little and took notice of Jazz Towers strutting into their section. The girl walked with all the confidence in the world with a small smirk on her face as she neared their table. She looked over at Sapphire who stared back at her with blank eyes.

“Well, well, well it looks like the Queen of the Kingpin has returned,” she mocked, and Sapphire rose a brow at her.

“What the hell do you want, Tower Loans?” Sapphire sneered. Jazz scowled before she abruptly turned to Sweet Pea and all he could do was think _Oh, no. Do not bring me into this._

“Sweet Pea,” Jazz purred, and he noticed out his peripheral the way Sapphire tensed and scowled darker before her features became unreadable. “My parents are going out of town this weekend and I was thinking that we should spend some time together. Just like before.”

Before when the only thing between him and Sapphire was sexual tension and unsaid words and not a wall of unmovable hate and even more unspoken words. He almost took a glance at Sapphire like he used to whenever a girl asked him out in front of her before he had managed to stop himself.

“Sorry, Jazz. I’m a loyal man and my girlfriend would be pretty pissed off if I stepped out of line.”

He didn’t miss the way Sapphire snorted when he said he was a loyal man, but she was pretending he didn’t exist so he’s going to pretend he didn’t hear her.

Jazz’s face dropped in shock when he rejected her before she turned to glare at Sapphire. Sapphire who looked at the other girl in boredom as she casually drank some of the bottled pop that Jughead had passed her. “What are you looking at me for?”

“Since when are the two of you back together? And why would someone like Sweet Pea even want a slut like you? The Serpent Slut. Everybody saw the messa- Aaaaahhh”

Her words were abruptly cut off as Sapphire jumped over the table to tackle her. “Don’t you EVER call me a slut again,” she growled out as picked the girl up and threw her into adjacent table. Fangs and Jughead were a second too late to grab Sapphire before she was rushing over and punching Jazz in the face.

It was the best fight Sweet Pea had ever seen her in not counting the whole with Cheryl and that one time she got into a fight with the Ghoulie princess for having the nerve to think she had any right to try to seduce a Serpent (it was worse because the Ghoulie was flirting with someone from her den).

“You know the rules,” Nathan, Sapphire’s favorite from her den called out as everyone crowded around. “Let them fight.”

The only sounds that were heard were the cheers coming from one half of Sapphire’s snake den as the other half was holding the regulars and the Ghoulies back from entering.

“I HAVE TEN ON SAPPHIRE!”

“FIVE ON JAZZ!”

“BEAT HER ASS SAPH!”

Somehow, someway another regular managed to slip into their section and immediately join the fight. Sweet Pea noticed her to be Ariel Tremaine. Not even a second passed before Toni was joining in to help her best friend.

It was an all-around catfight.

_Sweet Pea wondered if he should find some popcorn?_


	9. |eight|

Sapphire scowled into her lunch. If she knew returning to lunch at school meant listening to Sweet Pea go on and on about Cheryl, then she would’ve stayed where she was. Currently, he was answering Jughead’s question about what he was getting the ginger for Christmas.

“I don’t know,” SP stated. “What can you get a girl who has almost everything?”

Sapphire thought back to the charm bracelet she had at her house and snorted quietly into her food. She didn’t notice the way Sweet Pea glanced at her before he went, “Got something to say Princess?”

Normally, Sapphire would be all for ignoring the boy, but she was kind of fed up with his talking. “How about a charm bracelet? I know the perfect one for you to give her.”

The table tensed at her words herself included. She dragged her eyes to meet Sweet Pea’s full on and the stared at each other as the tension darkened and crackled around them like lightning. Neither of them looked away even when Sapphire quirked a brow and Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes. A cough from Fangs broke the two away from their staring contest with annoyed grumbles about the other.

Sweet Pea turned back to Jughead, “And besides, she told me that her mom doesn’t think they have enough money to even have Christmas this year.”

Sapphire blinked because there is no way that the Blossoms are that fucking stupid. Sapphire sighed deeply before she stood up from the table and walked away without a word.

She had someone to go see.

\--

It was still lunchtime at Riverdale High when Sapphire pulled up on her bike. She managed to catch the attention of the loners as she strutted her way through the school looking for Cheryl. The school’s layout was stupid, but she eventually found her way to the cafeteria and immediately spotted the familiar red hair.

Everyone’s eyes shot to her as she walked in and she mentally rolled her eyes at how quiet it was. She gets enough of that at her own school, but she paid it no mind as she walked up to Cheryl.

“Sapphire,” Cheryl purred a little. “What can I do for you?”

Sapphire quirked a brow and looked around them, “Walk with me, Blossom. We need to talk.”

And she turned around just as quickly as she came. The girl could follow her or not. The only thing that remains is that Sapphire did try. But she heard the click clacking of Cheryl’s heels as they exited the cafeteria.

Once they were a safe distance away, Sapphire abruptly turned and handed Cheryl not only a check but a copy of the deed to Riverdale.

“I don’t need your money,” Cheryl sneered but she stilled pocketed the check as she looked over the deed. Cheryl paused before she stared up at Sapphire. “Is this… is this true?”

“Yes, the Blossoms and the Stones were the founding families of Riverdale. So about 10% or more sales from each business on the land where our family mansions stand or well stood goes to us. Except Pop’s. We each get 5%.”

Cheryl blinked in shock, but before she could say anything Sapphire was already turning around to leave. She done her community service for the day.

\--

Sapphire leaning her head against Jughead’s shoulder as she breathed in deeply. Jughead ran a hand over her back as she squeezed her eyes tightly together.

She heard plates being placed on the table, so she could only assume the rest of the Kingpin had made it.

“What happened to Saph,” Fangs questioned looking at the girl who was squeezing her eyes tightly together as she breathed through her nose.

“I don’t know,” Jughead replied as she felt someone’s hand starting to run through her hair. “She was lying face flat on the table when I got here.”

“Saph,” she heard Toni whispered from beside her, so it was more than likely her that was playing with her hair. “What’s wrong?”

Sapphire felt a shudder run through her and bit back a moan. She squeezed her eyes more tightly before shaking her head lightly. “I don’t know,” she breathed out.

Her friends looked at her in worry even Sweet Pea wondered what was wrong with her when Joaquin came storming into their side of the cafeteria dragging a ghoulie with him. The ghoulie little friends tried to follow him but Sapphire’s den blocked them off alongside some of the other serpents.

“DeSantos,” Sweet Pea questioned looking at the Ghoulie in disgust. Joaquin didn’t answer but he through the boy their feet as he glared at them.

“Go ahead,” Joaquin snarled. “Tell them what you did to my sister!”

Every member of the Serpent’s head turned towards the boy lying on the ground. His face paled at the sight of anger and murder in all their faces. “It-it was a joke! I swear!”

Fangs and Sweet Pea stood up slowly cracking their knuckles as they went. The boy in questioned tried to scramble away but Toni’s foot on his chest kept in place. “What did you do to Sapphire,” Toni snarled even Jughead glared down menacingly at the boy as Sapphire struggled to contain herself.

“It was a joke! It wasn’t meant to be harmful,” he cried out dodging around the question. Nathan from Sapphire’s den moved to hold her as Jughead stood up with the rest of the Kingpin.

“That’s not what she asked you,” he stated calmly as all of them surrounded the boy. Sapphire was losing control as she began to squirm in her sit whimpering and whining.

“THEY TOLD ME TO PUT LIBIDO PILLS IN HER THERMOS,” he screamed out as Toni began to press her foot down harder.

Once he screamed out the words, everyone turned to Sapphire who was looking back at them with a look of pure undeniable lust and unsated hunger.

“Fuck,” nearly everyone except Joaquin stated at the look on her face. Joaquin, however, was snarling and sneering at anyone that looked at her too long. He marched over and snatched his sister out of the arms of Nathan before turning to look back at the Kingpin. “Handle him.”

Fangs and Joaquin exchanged keys to their respective vehicles before Joaquin carried his sister out of the school as she whined and groaned at the burning heat and lust running through her veins. He managed to strap her into the passenger seat while he moved to secure her bike onto the back of the car.

He sped away from the school as Sapphire groaned and mentally tried to reign herself in. Joaquin was her brother! Adopted or not!

Joaquin growled and sat curses at the little punk that did this to her and pulled out his phone to call FP. The man picked up after the second ring.

“Joaquin,” he stated.

“We’ve got a problem,” Joaquin replied. “Can you meet me at my house?”

“On my way,” FP said as he hung up the phone and Joaquin floored the car to go faster. He pulled into their driveway before getting out quickly to grab his sister and lead her into the house. Sapphire pressed her nose into his jacket as he took her to her room. He placed her on the bed before kissing her on the forehead and leaving out quickly.

He heard the unmistakable sound of motorcycles pulling up as he was filling up a glass of water for her. FP and Tall Boy walked into the house as he rushed past them and back to Sapphire’s room.

Sapphire who felt that heat under her skin was becoming unbearable and was stripping of her clothes. Joaquin managed to duck the jacket she threw his way, but Tall Boy hadn’t been lucky to dodge her shirt.

Joaquin placed the water on the table send ran a soothing hand over her forehead.

“What’s wrong with her,” FP demanded as he moved closer into the room. Joaquin almost snarled at him but just managed to hold himself back when he remembered that this was FP and he only sees Sapphire as his daughter.

“A ghoulie spiked her drink with libido pills,” Joaquin muttered as he helped Sapphire sip the water. FP and Tall Boy’s features twisted into snarls.

“They’re dead,” Tall Boy declared. Even he once was considering an alliance with them, he didn’t care for their existence now. “They’re ALL dead!”

\--

It was a few days after the drugging incident and Sapphire was feeling the after effects strongly. But no one had seen her. She had pushed everyone away and no one could understand why. All of them had tried to get her to talk and come out of her room, but she wouldn’t say anything to anyone. Hell, they couldn’t even get into her room.

Joaquin suspected she pushed her dresser in front of the door and her bed in front of the window.

After a while when it was clear she wasn’t going to talk, they all stopped. No one else bothered to try. They were going to let her come out on her own.

All except one person.

He stared at her door wondering what should he say. Its not like she even cares about him anymore. She probably hated him. He broke her heart. He took a deep breath and sank to the floor in front of her door.

He waited a beat. He didn’t even know if she was awake or not, but at least he could tell himself that he tried.

“Do you remember when we used to always say we were going to join the Serpents,” he started. Sapphire, who was balled up in a corner of her room, turned to look at the door.

“You used to always say how you were going to complete your initiating before me,” he laughed a little remembering little Sapphire with badly cut bangs who had just got glasses. “You had to watch Hotdog before I could, and you didn’t want to give him back afterwards. Poor Hotdog, the second. You used to dress him up and carry him around in your purse. You even got him a little side car for your bike back when we used to ride our bicycles everywhere.”

Sapphire’s brows furrowed. Where was he going with this?

“The second trial watching you yell out the laws into FP’s face with all the attitude and confidence in the world. And how you just walked over to the tank to get the knife casually throwing a mouse that you got from who the fuck knows where into the tank and grabbing it. Both of us running our hands over each other tattoos. I think my Grammy almost died of shock when I walked with mine. You got off easy because it was winter, and you wore long loose-fitting pants.”

“I wasn’t there for your gauntlet because I was going through my own, but damn seeing you afterwards with a bloody nose and bruises to last a lifetime and you had this huge proud smile on your face as you showed off your jacket.”

“And you said, ‘This is the best day of my life!’”, Sweet Pea chuckled a little. “I can’t remember where I was going with this, but Saph- I mean Sapphire, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

And honestly, that was the wrong thing for him to say.

“You’re here for me? Where were you when I was in the hospital needing my boyfriends comfort? Oh, that’s right! You were off kissing some skank! Get the hell away from my door, Sweet Pea. I don’t need you in my life anymore, so you can go run off into the sunset with Cheryl. The happily ever after for Sweet Blossom no one asked for,” she snarled out. Sapphire turned towards her music player, plugged her phone in, and turned the first song she could think of to full volume.

_I Don’t Love You by Cruel Youth_

\--

No one was prepared for the day when Sapphire finally emerged from her room a few days later. Her face was pale, and she had bags under her eyes, yet she was still beautiful. She walked into the cafeteria of the school but anyone with eyes could see that she didn’t plan to stay long.

She held a box in her hands as she made her way over to the Serpents’ side and to the Kingpin table. All of them looked up at her with smiles slipping onto her face but they stopped short at the looked of frustrated determination in her features.

Her brother opened his mouth to speak, but she slammed the box down in front of Sweet Pea before turning on her feet to leave. When he opened the box, he felt his heart stop at the sight of the charm bracelet he had given her.

It was truly over for them. There was no going back.

\--

It had been two weeks since Sapphire returned the bracelet to Sweet Pea. It had been a week and half since Sweet Pea gave that same bracelet except without the sapphire charm and instead a cherry charm to Cheryl.

Sapphire noticed something about her friends. Hell, if she could even call them that anymore.

Whenever she asked to make plans with one of them, they were all busy. She had figured that it was payback for when she was doing it to them. And if it wasn’t, she hadn’t really had problem. Sometimes people are too busy to hang out.

But she hadn’t needed to pull up to Pop’s and see them joking around with the Northsiders over milkshakes. She breathed in deeply before getting off her bike and heading inside.

She felt the moment when they turned to look at her, but she kept her face unreadable as she walked up to the counter. “I’m here for a pickup for Sapphire Stone,” she told the worker and pulled out her phone for the short wait. Sapphire heard someone getting up from her seat to approach her when the worker appeared with her food. She handed him a fifty, “Keep the change,” before she walks back out the restaurant ignoring the call of her name.

She secured her food onto her bike even when she heard Fangs, Toni, Jughead, and Joaquin running out to speak to her. Because yes, she asked _all_ four of them to hang out, but they were all “busy”.

She was speeding down the road right as they made it to where she was. Once she made it back to her house, she stormed into her room, packed a week’s worth of clothes before she was once again leaving out and headed for Stone Manor.

She could deal with busy friends, but she couldn’t deal with lying friends.

\--

Sapphire was leaning against her bike outside of the Whyte Worm. She supposes she should go in for karaoke night, but she had been managing to ignore all her so-called friends for the past few days. She didn’t really want to walk in and have to deal with them.

Her head was tilted towards the sky as she tried to let herself relax. She was done stressing over other people. It wasn’t good for her skin.

The sounds of heels caught her attention and she scowled as she knew only two people who wore heels to the Whyte Worm. And she was fairly certain she knew exactly which one would bother her.

“What do you want, Little Red Riding Hood?”

Cheryl scoffed as she moved closer, “I just came out here for some air until I realized that they hadn’t moved their trash away from the door.”

“I’m not in the mood to deal with you, Blossom. Run along back to your friends and leave me be,” Sapphire stated opening her eyes to glare at the other girl.

“Hmm, yes. My friends. You know I thought it was going to be a little harder taking them from you, but it was honestly so easy. I hardly had to put in any effort,” Cheryl mocked not stepping down at the other girl’s ferocious glare.

“I know you’re not as stupid as you look. Nobody could be. I said to leave me alone,” Sapphire growled getting angrier by the second.

“Our friendship is actually so strong. I doubt that I’ll ever let them slip through my fingers like you did,” Cheryl continued.

“Cry me a fucking river, Cheryl. You only want the life I’ve been living because its better than the one you have. Look at me, the sad little twin who wishes her brother wasn’t dead. Who’s glad its her daddy instead. Look at me, sad little Cheryl who wished mommy loved me.”

Sapphire’s head whipped to the right as Cheryl’s hands connected with her face. She felt the anger in her boil before she pushed it away. She was done fighting even if she wanted to do nothing more than rake the girl’s head across the gravel beneath their feet.

Her eyes flickered up to Cheryl who wore a small look of fear. Sapphire could only guess the girl was waiting for her to retaliate. “Can’t take what you dish out, huh, Blossom.”

Sapphire walked towards the door of the bar. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I wanna join in on the karaoke session.”

She walked on in without waiting to hear if the girl was following. She went up to the DJ booth not noticing the way her friends were looking at her. Queue up to songs before walking over to the mic.

“How’s everyone doing tonight,” she questioned with a smile that grew as everyone cheered out. “That’s good. That’s good. I got two songs for ya that I want to do. Are you ready for them?”

She smiled again as everyone yelled out a YES before turning a little to nod at the DJ. “This is right here is called Same Old Love by Selena Gomez.”

The music drifted in and those who hadn’t heard her sing before jaws dropped at the at her voice. She hadn’t taken all those singing lessons before her parents died for nothing.

“Take away your things and go You can't take back what you said, I know I've heard it all before, at least a million times I'm not one to forget, you know.”

Everyone was quiet except for the cheers here and there as she sang.  Her body swayed to the beat of the music as she slowly got into the song. A small serene smile on her face as she heard the awed gasps from those right in front of the stage.

“I'm so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up I'm so sick of that same old love, my body's had enough Oh, (that same old love) Oh, (that same old love) I'm so sick of that same old love, feels like I've blown apart I'm so sick of that same old love, the kind that breaks your heart Oh, (that same old love) Oh, (that same old love)”

Sweet Pea froze because he was one hundred percent sure that she was singing that to him. And his thoughts were only confirmed as she opened her eyes and flickered them over the crowd until they got to where he was sitting with the rest of their friends.

They made eye contact and they stayed that way for the whole song.

“Oh, (that same old love)”

As the beat drifted away, the sounds of cheers and clapping filled the bar and Sapphire laughed into her mic. “Who’s ready for the next one? I swear this one is _a personal_ favorite as of recently.”

A loud chorus of cheers rang in the air and Sapphire nodded with a smirk. “This one is called FFF by my girl Bebe Rexha.”

She motioned to the DJ and began to bob her head to the beat.

“Friends come and go, friends come and go Go like the seasons I never know, I never know what to believe in And it's getting old, it's getting old But no hard feelings 'Cause friends come and go, friends come and go without a reason And I, I've been in Riverdale for way too long Can't get this air inside my lungs It feels like I'm suffocatin' from all the lack of the realness here.”

Toni, Fangs, Jughead, and Joaquin flinched back at the cold look in her eyes as she gazed upon them.

“Fuck fake friends, we don't need 'em Only thing they're good for is leaving Fuck fake friends, we don't need 'em I've had it up to the ceiling Fuck fake friends, we don't need 'em Only thing they're good for is leaving And I ain't got the time, money on my mind I'll say it to your face, fuck fake friends.”

No one really connected the fact that she was singing this towards a certain group of people. They were too enthralled by her voice and how her body moved along to the beat. The only people to only notice would be FP and Tall Boy, but they couldn’t really do anything that wouldn’t set someone off.

And with the impending war between the Ghoulies, they didn’t need anyone being set off. They also didn’t need problems within their ranks.

“Is there anybody real out here? Got my middle, middle up while I'm singing..”

She even emphasized this line by sticking her middle finger into the air smiling brightly at the sounds of encouragement from the crowd.

She sung the chorus once more before she placed both hands on the mic and kept her _friends_ pinned to their seats by the look in her eyes.

“And I ain't got the time, money on my mind Say it to my face, don't pretend And I ain't got the time, money on my mind I'll say it to your face, fuck fake friends And I ain't got the time, money on my mind Say it to my face, don't pretend And I ain't got the time, money on my mind I'll say it to your face, fuck fake friends..”

She turned from them as she sang the last part before stepping away from the mic and smirking smugly at the sounds from the crowd.

_“ONE MORE”_

_“ONE MORE”_

_“ANOTHER ONE”_

She rose a brow at the crowd before she was laughing slightly and moving further away from the mic.

“SAPPHIRE!”

“SAPPHIRE!”

“SAPPHIRE!”

She blushed at the yelling before she moved over to the DJ booth once more. She whispered into his ear before moving back to the mic.

“See, I had wanted to leave you all on a good note. But you all forced my hand. Get your tissues out. This song is a little emotion. Its called The End by Little Mix.”

She took a deep breath before she motions for the DJ to hit play and then she let all her heartbreak out.

“I can't keep breaking up with you You messed with my heart babe Now it's black and blue But love isn't fair So I swear That this time This is the end…”

_Her voice moved through the lyrics with ease going higher and lower at the appropriate times as she started to sway lightly._

“And I can't keep lying Lying to myself Oh I'm thinking you'll love me right But you never will It's too much to bear (too much to bear) So I swear (this time I swear) That this time This is the end (I mean it baby) …”

_Her eyes slipped close as her mind gave her and instant reply of all the memories she shared with Sweet Pea. From when they were younger and first became friends._

“Said I'm gonna leave But I'll never leavin' Now I know that I really don't need to have your fun Now the party's done And you beg on the floor As I walk out the door Boy we're through…”

_To when he and Joaquin were teaching her how to roller-skate. When he would let her paint her nails or how he would sit outside her door when the grief of losing her parents became too overwhelming._

“All the tears I've cried All the lonely nights Boy I lost my mind But now I'm sure (now I'm sure now I'm sure) …”

_To when they started middle school together and Sweet Pea always shared his milkshake with her when they went to Pops. When the two of them would go over to each other’s houses and help with homework and projects._

“You can say all you want but love isn't here anymore…”

_When Sweet Pea’s dad walked out on his mother when she was five months pregnant with the triplets. When Sweet Pea started to help around the shop to try to make sure ends meet. When she and the others would join in even though it was against the law for them to be working at such young ages._

“And I won't be missing, missing you And no one can love you The way I used to do But love isn't fair (love isn't fair) And I swear That this time This is the end…”

_When they first joined the Serpents. When she gave him her virginity. When they went picked out their bikes together. The smiles and laughter they shared after they finished running an errand for the Serpents. The smirks on their faces as they quickly moved up the ranks._

“Oh

I promise baby

This is the end

You know it's the end

Oh, hey, yeah This is the end…”

_All the way to the moment he broke her heart and left her in pieces._

It was quiet in the bar aside from the occasional sniffle of tears. Sapphire slowly opened her eyes to see people leaning onto each other for support and others furiously wiping their eyes.

She didn’t spare the others a glance. She nodded once and moved away from the mic. It was FP that started off the round of applause and Sapphire smiled shakily. She was doing her best to keep from crying as she moved off the stage. She walked through the crowds accepting hugs from everyone and giving her gratitude for everyone that complimented her voice.

She did all of this until she reached the doors of the Whyte Worm and walked out. She hoped onto her bike and took of down the streets without looking back

\--

She was sitting on a cliff over looking Sweetwater River. She was crying harshly into her arms.

“I’m alone. I’m all alone,” she repeated brokenly. Her head whipped around at the sound of someone stepping on a branch. She squinted into the darkness and a strike of fear jolted her when the figure stepped into the moonlight.

Sapphire stared at him in fear before her features twisted into a glare.

“What,” she sneered at the man. The effect being ruined by the sight of her red puffy eyes and drying tear tracks. “Come to finish what you started?”


	10. |nine|

Sapphire was missing.

No one knew where she was or if she was even okay. She wasn’t answering any phone calls. Which okay, her friends weren’t exactly surprised that she wasn’t answering them.

But it caused a massive freak out when she didn’t answer for FP. Sapphire almost always answers for FP and when she doesn’t, she makes sure to call back.

But she hasn’t, and it’s been almost a week.

The Serpents were going crazy looking for the girl, but nothing could come up. At least until the newest segment from the Black Hood had everyone on their toes.

“ _People of Riverdale, I have rid this town of the drug-dealing child-killer and others like him. Now, you must choose your fate. The next 48 hours will be a test. And I will be watching you very closely. Show me you are pure of heart, and my work ends. Continue to sin, and I will take up the sword again.”_

\--

Sapphire couldn’t see in the small room she was being held up. A blindfold had already been placed over her head. She couldn’t remember much. The last thing she could recall was crying and looking over the river. Someone had walked out from the woods and everything went blank from there.

_“Don’t you worry, Kate Keepon. Your fate lies in the hands of Riverdale now.”_

\--

Riverdale was full of idiots. No one except those on the Southside seemed to be taking the Black Hood’s words seriously. Until pictures appeared in their newspapers. The Riverdale Register and Southside Segment.

_SOUTHSIDE SEGMENTS_

_Cleansing Sapphires_

_By Jughead Jones_

_What you are about to witness are three twisted tales connected to the tragic and macabre events that befell the town of_ _Riverdale. Known as the "Black Hood murders," they were all the more tragic because those who bore witness to these terrible things were so young. A seemingly random shooting quickly revealed itself to be the first in a series of gruesome attacks perpetrated by a hooded assailant. These latest chapters began with the discovery if a letter from the Black Hood affixed to the door of Pop Tate's Chock'lit shoppe._

_Unfortunately, for the citizens of Riverdale it did not stop there. Two days later, Pop Tate received a phone call late in the night at his Chock’lit shoppe. It was a call from the Black Hood. The town had failed his test. Everyone was a sinner and the reckoning was amongst them._

_Not even a day later, not only did a picture emerge but also a jacket. A Southside Serpent’s jacket. In that picture, lying, bloodied, unconscious and gagged was the Southside’s own Sapphire Maria Stone._

_A promise in a note came with the photograph and the jacket. The fate of Riverdale and the livelihood of Sapphire had fallen into their hands. They had failed and now, there was one last test. A chance to be redeemed. The only way to do that was to confess. Confess their sins and Sapphire would be spared. And with her life, so shall Riverdale._

_The note had read: To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

 “What the fuck,” Fangs growled as he read through the newspaper. “What does this even mean?”

He didn’t receive an answer as Toni and Jughead and Jones’ girlfriend were furiously bent over notes regarding Sapphire trying to figure out everything. Fangs was pretty sure he saw Sapphire’s birth certificate in their piles of paper.

Joaquin sat beside him stressing and worrying about his sister. He was pale and shivering and his hair wasn’t even combed backwards, but he kept his eyes trained onto the stack of papers in in front of their friends.

Sweet Pea had pulled a chair up to the table, but he hadn’t stopped staring at the picture of Sapphire lying lifeless on the ground. He took in her appearance his eyes raking over every bruise that was visible and the blood running down her face. He didn’t know what to think, but all he could really do was blame himself.

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

“Fuck,” Sweet Pea growled as he smashed his fist into the table. He was so confused and frustrated. He needed to do something. Anything to save Sapphire.

Anything to get rid of the gloominess across the town. Anything to get rid of the stress and weariness in his mother’s and grandmother’s face. Anything to get rid of the nightmares tormenting his younger brothers.

“The beginning,” Joaquin whispered as if he just had a revelation. “The Black Hood started his attacks here, but _where_ did it really begin? Where did everything start that Sapphire would really know about…”

Toni looked up at Joaquin with her eyes widening in realization. Jughead and the blonde turned to look at her, but she cut her eyes to Sweet Pea and Fangs. The two boys felt their heart stops as the realization came to them. Joaquin nodded his head when the three of them turned back to him.

“Sweetwater River,” they all breathed out. It was as if the temperature dropped. It was as if darkness itself was welcoming them.

Jughead looked between them confused, “The river what? What are you guys talking about?”

Toni turned towards Jughead and Betty, “Everything changed in Riverdale when Jason Blossom died and it all started at the river. We all knew what happened to Jason that. _Sapphire_ knew what happened to Jason.”

Four out of five of the Serpents looked at each other before Toni and Joaquin were stuffing the papers into their bags and trying to rush out of Pop’s at the same time. Jughead and Betty looked at each other before they too were following behind the serpents. Betty and Jughead sent out a group messages to get everyone down to the river and to bring their parents.

The ride to the river was a quiet one. It was filled with anticipation and dread as they drove through the roads with ease. They barely waited ten minutes before everyone else was pulling up behind them.

_To save her from her end, go back to where it all began._

“Betty, what is the meaning of this,” Alice Cooper demanded as she walked closer to her daughter glaring at the Serpents near her. Though before the girl could reply to her mother, a loud gasp was heard, and all eyes turned towards Toni who was staring up at one of the cliffs on the other side of the lake.

Standing there was the Black Hood in all his glory. His head was still covered with that idiotic ski mask, but in his hands blindfolded, bloodied, and gagged was Sapphire Stone. Even from a distance everyone could see how her shirt stuck to her and how pale her skin was making the dried blood on her even more visible.

“Let her go,” Joaquin yelled as he walked forward. His eyes never straying from his sister.

His heart stopped the second the Black Hood aimed a gun to her head and held up a device to his lips.

“The fate of Riverdale and the livelihood of this whore rest in your hands. You failed me once before and now, I am giving you one last chance at redemption. The only way to do that is to confess. Confess to your sins and Sapphire would be spared. And with her life, so shall Riverdale,” he called out. His voice unfamiliar and garbled in a way that suggest he was using a modifier. “The confessing will begin with Archie Andrews.”

Archie stepped forward a little nervously to have all eyes on him, but the desperate look in the Serpents’ eyes made him pause. The desperate and pleading look in Jughead’s eyes steeled his resolve. And, not wanting to be the cause of her death.

“Confess to your sins. For each lie told,” he pulled out the dagger that Fangs’ gave her. “she will suffer the consequences.”

Archie gulped, “I was sleeping with Ms. Grundy before she left Riverdale. I used a fake ID card to buy a gun. Um, I have underage sex? I did jingle jangle. I lied to Sheriff Keller, Principal Wetherbee, and my dad about being on the Southside and waving the gun around. I’ve lied to my friends on occasions because my pride was too strong. I felt murderous and revengeful when my dad was shot going to extreme measures to avenge him. I- “

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Archie Andrews, your sins have been forgiven. Antonia Topaz, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Toni stepped forward nervously, but she kept her eyes trained on Sapphire, “I joined the Southside Serpents which most would consider a gang. I fought people, stolen things, and threatened more people. I’m bisexual and in most people’s eye that is a sin. My camera contains pictures that I could use for blackmail. I have underage sex. I kissed Jughead and made out with Sapphire even when I knew neither were over their exes. I’ve lied to people. I- “

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Toni Topaz, your sins have been forgiven. Veronica Lodge, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Veronica stepped forward slowly and took a deep breath. Her mother and father both reached out to grab a hold of her, but ended up standing beside her in a show of comfort.

“I’ve manipulated people for the sake of my amusement. I once kissed Betty and risked our friendship by kissing Archie once. I’ve lied to my parents before. I’ve done drugs and had underage sex. I broke into Ms. Grundy’s car with Betty and helped her seduce Chuck to get him to admit what he had done to me. I helped Betty stalk- “

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Since you have been in Riverdale, you have redeemed yourself of the sins you committed before. Veronica Lodge, your sins have been forgiven. Alice Cooper, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Alice Cooper stepped forward with her head held high. She kept her eyes trained on the Black Hood not paying attention to the girl on the ground. “What do you want to know?”

“You can start with your children,” the Black Hood stated and Alice nearly faltered. She cleared her throat even as her eyes narrowed.

“I had a child out of wedlock with FP Jones in high school. Instead of having an abortion like Hal had wanted, I gave him up for adoption. P-“

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Alice Cooper, your sin has been forgiven. Hal Cooper, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Hal stepped to his wife’s side and she held onto his hand for support. “I’m actually a Blossom by blood and I've been lying about it. I tried to convince Alice to get an abortion, and I tried to do the same for my daughter, Polly. I sent her away to keep her and Jason Blossom from being together. I broke into Sheriff’s Keller house and took his papers and all of the evidence so that he wouldn’t make the connection between the Coopers and Blossoms. I-“

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Hal Cooper, your sins have been forgiven. Sierra McCoy, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Mayor McCoy stepped forward with her head held high. She didn’t particularly  want to confess but the only thing she could see as she gazed upon the beautiful and scarred brown skinned teenager in the hands of the Black Hood was Josie. Her precious baby girl.

“I lied to Josie about the extent of the death threats that I had been receiving. I allowed Hermione Lodge to pay me anonymously to make way for the closing and destruction of the Twilight Drive-In. I had the students at Southside High arrested without a warrant from the judge. I-I-I’m having an affair with Tom Keller.”

Gasps of shock and outrage came from both of their children at the news and they both looked to their respective parent. The heartbreak and disbelief were clear on their faces as they took in that fact.

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Sierra McCoy, your sins have been forgiven. Fangs Forgarty, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Fangs took a deep breath before he stepped closer and kept his eyes trained on Sapphire. “I joined the Southside Serpents which most would consider a gang. I fought people, stolen things, and threatened more people. I’ve lied to my friends on occasion and I have underage sex. I had sex with Sapphire even though I knew she wasn’t over Sweet Pea.”

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Fangs Forgarty, your sins have been forgiven. Cheryl Blossom, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Her mother whipped her hand out and stopped her daughter from moving, “She doesn’t have to do anything.”

The Black Hood said nothing as he slashed the knife across Sapphire’s back which brought her into consciousness with a muffled scream.

“Cheryl Blossom, step forward and confess to your sins.”

Though Penelope wasn’t letting her daughter take another step, and in revenge, the Black Hood swiped at Sapphire again before removing the gag. “I will continue this until you confess.”

To emphasize his point, he slashed her back again and this time everyone could hear her scream of pain. Everyone winced as they could hear the agony in her shriek.

Sweet Pea turned towards Cheryl with a look of complete desperation, “ _Flower, please_. If you don’t do this, she’ll die.”

“Good riddance,” her mother sneered, but Cheryl straightened her spine and walked around her mother.

“I lied about Jay-Jay drowning in the river to cover up the fact that he wanted to run away. I manipulated my way into Sapphire’s friend circle to take away her happiness because I was jealous. I’ve blackmailed people to do my bidding and to make sure I had control over them. I stole Nana Blossom’s ring from my parents and told them that I flushed it down the drain. I took drugs. I burned down our mansion in order to cleanse my family of the hellish nightmare that I had been living. I’ve lied under-“

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “Cheryl Blossom, your sins have been forgiven. Betty Cooper, step forward and confess to your sins.”

“…I drugged Chuck and handcuffed him to a rail, then pushed his head into boiling water with my heel and poured maple syrup on his face. I disrespected the dead by using going to Jason Blossom’s memorial as cover story to break into his room. I pretended to be Polly to Nana Blossom even though she has Alzheimer's….

“…I went against Jughead’s trust in me and disrespected his wishes by having a surprise part for him. Blackmail. I kept a cover of Clifford Blossom murdering Jason and used it to blackmail Cheryl. I betrayed Kevin and Archie’s trust. I disrespected Archie’s wishes to stay out of his business by pretending to have an interview with Ms. Grundy which was really a way for her to get Grundy to admit to her relationship with Archie…”

“…Which was not only disrespectful to our friendship, but also an abuse of power since I lied about using it for the school’s newspaper. I broke into Ms. Grundy’s car. And even though Kevin told me to not worry about his late night jogging around Fox Forest, I still went behind his back and told his dad. I lied to my parents and Sheriff Keller about the letter you sent me…”

“…I broke into Sheriff Keller’s house and went through his things and I coerced Veronica to help me stalk him and I found out that he-“

“That is enough,” the Black Hood stated calmly. “I told you that we were alike, Betty. Your sins have been forgiven. _Sweet Pea_ , step forward and confess to your sins.”

Sapphire jerked back against her bonds. She didn’t want to hear his sins. She hadn't want to hear any of their sins. Except well Mayor McCoy’s because _fuck, that would’ve been some good blackmail._

“It seem our resident Kate Keepon wants to share her sins,” the Black Hood stated.

_Who the fuck is Kate Keepon?_

“He’s calling her a whore,” Jughead stated. “Kate Keepon was a whore in one of Shakespeare’s plays.”

“Go ahead, Sapphire. Confess to your sins,” the Black Hood continued. He took the blindfold off her face and they watched as her dark brown eyes finally came into view. Her right eye was swollen, but that didn’t stop fierce snarl that over took her features.

When she didn’t answer immediately, the Black Hood sliced her back once again and she screamed out in agony.

“You son of a bitch,” she growled and just for that answer, he made a long swipe from an unmarked part of her back to her stomach. Sapphire cried out loudly and gasped as black spots started to appear in her vision.

“Sapphire Stone, you have pledge guilty to your sins. It is time to face punishment.”

Everyone watched with wide eyes and baited breath as the Black Hood pushed Sapphire off the cliff. The only sound that could be heard was her panic filled screams and the chorus of “Sapphire!” coming from all the Serpents in the area. They were all running forward towards the river right as she hit the water with a loud splash.


	11. |ten|

The water turned red as Sapphire descended deeper into the water. Alice Cooper watched with wide eyes as nearly all the Serpents alongside Archie and Jughead threw off their jackets and ran forward on the fragile ice towards the area Sapphire fell in. Some of them fell as the ice cracked under them, but she didn’t have any doubt that they weren’t still trying to swim towards her.

Even from a distance, she could see the water turning red as Sapphire bled. She could only hope that the young girl makes it out of this alive. She looked up to the cliff where the Black Hood had been, but the man was gone.

\--

Sapphire was sinking. The cold water nipped at her skin at every turn. She struggled under water to get the ropes off her hands as she trying to swim upwards, but she felt her body slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

Right as she gave up hope, the ropes slipped off and she swam up as quickly as she could force herself. She was just at the opening when the darkness finally claimed her, and she began to sink once more. She knew her time was up as her eyes slipped closed and only one last thought crossed her mind.

_Please. Don’t forget me._

\--

Sweet Pea reached the area where Sapphire fell first. He dove right into the bloody water without a second thought. He looked around quickly spotting Sapphire sinking deeper into the river. The water stung his eyes as he swam after her.

Her eyes were closed, and she looked peaceful. He reached out and lapsed onto her leg. He tried to pull her towards him, but his grip was too loose, and she slipped out of his grip. He inwardly growled and swam back towards the opening.

He came up and took a breath before he was going back under not paying attention to any of the others. He swam down towards her quickly this time wrapping his arm around her waist before kicking back towards the surface. He didn’t once let his grip falter as he made his way to the opening.

He broke the surface with her still in his arms before pulling both of them out of the water. Joaquin grabbed his sister while Fangs and Jughead helped him out of the water. They looked up as the sheriff brought out a small rover to take them back across the river and off the unstable ice.

Once it got by them, Joaquin and Toni wasted no time jumping on it and securing Saph who was slowing turning blue in the face. FP motioned for the vehicle to not worry about them and to hurry and get Sapphire back across the river to the ambulance.

They followed behind running and swimming quickly back towards the land. By the time they got there, Joaquin was gone in the ambulance with Sapphire. They hooked Joaquin’s bike onto the back of Fangs’ car and grabbed their jackets before getting on their respective vehicles and rushing to the hospital.

\--

_“Sapphire wake up.”_

_“Saph, please open your eyes.”_

_“Please, sis. Wake up.”_

_“Princess, wake up.”_

_“Ria,_ _hija mía. Open your eyes.”_

_“Saph. Princess. Please don’t leave me. I’m sorry. Please, wake up.”_

_“Sapphire, come back to us. We can’t do this without you.”_

\--

_Sapphire was sitting in a field. Lush green grass that she absently picked at. She was dressed in a light blue dress and she wore no shoes. Her hair was hanging free and dancing wildly in the light breeze. But she paid it no mind._

_“Princess, wake up.”_

_Sapphire snapped her head up and looked around, but no one was there. Her eyes narrowed, but she made no motion to move._

_“Ria,_ _hija mía. Open your eyes.”_

_Her head whipped to the right yet there was still no one there. Open your eyes? Her eyes were already opened._

_“Who’s there,” she called out. She bent down and picked up a big rock until she could find a better weapon to use. No one answered her._

_“Please, sis. Wake up.”_

_Sis? She was an only child. And she was awake!_

_“Saph. Princess. Please don’t leave me. I’m sorry. Please, wake up.”_

_She listened carefully and that voice she knows that voice. And the other voices! She knows those voices. FP and Joaquin. And-and Sweet Pea._

_“Sapphire wake up.”_

_That was Fangs._

_“Saph, please open your eyes.”_

_And that was Toni._

_“Sapphire, come back to us. We can’t do this without you.”_

_That was JugJug._

_Come back to them? What did he mean? Her heartbeat sped up and she looked around the field she was in. No, she didn’t want to stay here._

_She wanted her friends and her family._

\--

December 12

Sapphire had been unconscious for six days. Her room was filled with chocolates and balloons and cards. Grammy and Mama Sweets had long ago changed her out of her hospital gown and into one of her sweater dresses. Fangs who had recovered her grandmother’s necklace slipped it around her neck and Toni had fixed her hair up.

Despite such a sad occasion, one good thing came out of Sapphire’s hospitalization. The Northside and the Serpents worked alongside each other. Or more accurately, the Serpents and Police worked together to keep all the out of town reporters from entering the hospital.

But it was on December the Twelfth when Sapphire opened her eyes.

\--

Sapphire’s eyes opened to look at the room around her and a small gasp of pain left her as she felt the full effects of her injuries. Where was she? The last thing she remembered-

THE BLACK HOOD!

That bastard sliced her up and threw her off a cliff. She was going to kill that son of a bitch as soon as she found him. But she had more important things to worry about like three small, adorable faces staring into at her own.

“SAPPHIRE! YOU’RE AWAKE,” AJ cried out throwing his arms around her neck. His brothers followed suit each trying to make sure they claim a space in her around her. She chuckled tiredly and used all the strength she had to raise her heavy arms and hug them back.

“No wimp with an ugly ski mask can keep the Mario Kart Champ down,” she stated with a heavy voice. But the triplets didn’t say anything too busy crying into her hair and her neck. “Oh, Cerberus. Its alright. Let it out, okay?”

The boys clinged to her harder before Grammy and Mama Sweets maneuvered them around her so that they could stay lose to her on the bed without hitting disturbing her wounds or the IV in her arm.

The two women looked at her with relief before placing a kiss on each side of her head. “I swear we’re going to wrap you in bubble wrap and lock you in a tower.”

\--

Time passed in a blur. Doctors and nurses walked in and out of her room and once they were finished, then came the visitors. Sapphire swore just about every member of the Serpents had came to visit her at least three times in the span of three hours.

Mr. and Mrs. DeSantos had rushed into the room and looked over in worry before gulfing Joaquin into a huge hug. They stayed for an hour before leaving to go back to Joaquin and Sapphire’s house where they had been staying to get her room ready for her to go back.

A part of her didn’t have the heart to tell them that she doesn’t live there anymore, but Mrs. D gave her a knowing look, so she figured the woman did know.

And then she was left in a room with three sleeping triplets surrounding her. Her adopted brother and coming through the door were the other members of the Kingpin.

It was Joaquin that stepped forward first.

“Sapphire. Mi hermana. I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault. If I wouldn’t have had never left from the beginning,” he rushed out as he gripped her hand tightly. Tears welled up into his eyes and Sapphire felt a part of her breaking.

She didn’t want to forgive him or the others. They lied to her. They replaced her. But she couldn’t help it. They were still her friends. Her family. They were all she had.

Sapphire couldn’t be alone. She wouldn’t be able to cope. Peaceful sure? But she couldn’t handle the loneliness. She couldn’t handle the abandonment.

She squeezes his hand and he looked at her. He really looked at her and she gave him a small smile.

“I forgive you,” she said. Her eyes flickered over all of them. “I forgive all of you. And what happened to me was none of your faults. The Black Hood had already targeted me, so it made sense that he’d do it again. I don’t blame you.”

If anything, she blamed herself. It was her stupidity that got her in that situation.

Sweet Pea opened his mouth o object, but Sapphire beat him, “Look, I’m tired and I’m aching. We can hash it out how it was none of your faults after I wake up.”

Her friends shared a look and gave her a hesitant nodded as she got comfortable holding onto the triplets tightly before closing her eyes and slowly falling asleep.

\--

Sweet Pea paced around the parking lot of the Whyte Worm waiting patiently for his girlfriend to appear. His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he gazed at the ground.

It took a minute, but the familiar purr of her car pulled up and he snapped his head up to watch her slip out of her car. She looked at him before arching an eyebrow and nodding her head.

“Am I right to assume that this meeting of ours was for you to end things,” she questioned as she leaned back on to her car. Sweet Pea looked a little guilty, but Cheryl knew that this moment was a long time coming.

Sweet Pea sighed and nodded his head, “It isn’t fair for me to be with you when I still love Sapphire.”

Cheryl inwardly winced. She always knew that he still loved Sapphire. She was kidding herself to think otherwise. “Well if we’re being honest, it wasn’t fair for me to push my feelings for Toni on you. I guess- I guess I was just afraid of what my mother would say.”

Sweet Pea blinked. He so didn’t notice that she was crushing on Toni and he was going to tell the girl that as soon as they finished here. He gave her a small smirk.

“You know you’re pretty cool for a northsider,” he teased, and she huffed out of laugh.

“And you’re a decent guy for a Serpent,” she teased back. “You should give her this back and tell her to get better. We can’t be good rivals if she’s not well.”

Cheryl handed him the charm bracelet before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You take care of yourself too, Sweet Pea.”

And then she got back into her car and sped off. Sweet Pea stood there for another moment before turning around to walk into the Whyte Worm.

\--

Sapphire sat in front of the vanity in her room and she just looked at herself. It was Christmas and it was also her “ _Welcome Back”, “Glad the Creepy Dude in Ski Mask Didn’t Kill You"_ , and _“I’d Die if You Died_ ” parties.

She sighed a little as she picked up the scissors. Taking a deep breath, she cut her hair. She took her time cutting it before fixing the uneven parts as best as she could. Once she finished with that, she curled it and put little braids slipped little braids in it.

She moved automatically as she put on makeup and slipped her grandmother’s necklace around her neck. She turned slowly and picked up the sweater dress that she was informed to wear. She slipped on the thigh high black boots before turning to look at herself in the mirror.

An image of a lush green field crosses her mind except this time it was filled with people. She smiled lightly before standing up straight and letting a smirk pull on her lips.

She was Sapphire Maria Stone, the sole heir to Stone Enterprises. The owner of every known business on the Southside. She was a Southside Serpent. A member of the Teenage Kingpin. A Southside Gem.

She could do this.

\--

Sapphire stood in front of the crow of reporters. She stood on the platform looking like a goddess. Her shoulders were set and her back was straight. Her eyes flickered over the crowd making eye contact but never settling. Her lips were turned upwards in a small smirk and she said nothing as she let the cameras flash wildly before she rose one hand in the air and all went quiet.

“Good morning,” she stated and Sweet Pea’s heart skipped a beat. She sounded older and more professional. She sounded untouchable and unmovable. She didn’t sound nor did she look anything like the girl that nearly drown in Sweetwater River. “Its good to have you all here, though I am sadden that you all would be here with me instead of with your families. I promise to make this quick, so that you all can get back to them as a result of that. I'm only taking five questions.”

But then a sharp glare settled onto her face as she looked into the crowd, “But also note that any slander written after this conference will be taken care of swiftly and without hesitation, ignore that and you will **not** have a career anymore.”

Toni and Fangs and Sweet Pea felt shivers run down their spines at the venom and heat in her words. They had never seen this side of Sapphire and by the looks on the reporters faces neither had they.

“Phire,” Joaquin whispered. “She’s channeling Phire.”

“What are you talking about,” Toni hissed.

“Saph has Dissociative identity disorder. She usually has it under control to the point where she doesn’t even seem like she has it. Remember all of those times when we were younger and we would go out of town to visit family? Well we were actually going to visit specialists to help treat her.”

“Okay, but who’s Phire?”

Joaquin glanced at them before turning to look back at his sister on stage. “Saph is the girl we all know. We grew up with her and we know how she is. Sapphire Stone is heiress to Stone Enterprises that’s all business and brilliant business woman for her to be so young. But Phire? She’s every high-strung emotion in her and burned to the depths of hell. Nothing. Absolutely nothing will stand in her way to get what she wants. Its like she blackouts and nothing can get to her. She’s untouchable.”

At his words, the first thing that came to mind was when she fought Cheryl. The way she didn’t seem to hear anyone talking to her or really feel anyone touching her. They thought back to the moment when she saw them in Pop’s and how she basically ignored their existence. When she stood on stage and basically said fuck them to the whole gang. Her eyes. She was usually so expressive but her eyes they were blank. _Unreadable. Untouchable_. Sweet Pea remembered when he saw her kissing that boy in the hallway and how her blank her gaze was.

Was that Phire?

\--

Back on the stage, Sapphire stood tall as she looked into the crowd of reporters. She saw Alice Cooper and Jughead sitting in the crowd. Reporters from People’s magazine and even Ebony.

“You there. With the lime green tie,” Sapphire stated pointing at a reporter. The reporter in question straighten up slightly.

“Can you let the readers know exactly what happened?”

Sapphire smirked bitterly, “I was going through a rough time. It honestly just hit me out of nowhere that this would be the eighth year that I’d be celebrating Christmas without my mom and dad. I had took a walk by myself to clear my head when this man in a ski mask knocked me out…"

Her eyes went faraway as she lost herself in her memories. “I woke up all alone in this room. There were no windows or anything. It was all so quiet. So quiet. My arms were tied together and threw was a chain wrapped around my leg to keep me from going anywhere. I cant remember how long I was gone for but time seemed to drag. Everyday the man in the ski mask would come with food and I wont eat any of it. I didn’t know what was in it until one day he just snapped and punched me before he forced me to eat. And one moment I had fell asleep and the next I was being thrown off a cliff…”

She blinked slowly as she came back to reality before narrowing her eyes. The same reporter inquired, “Is there anything else you can say to describe the attacker?”

She frowned before stating, “There’s not much. He has green eyes. Soulless green eyes. And he wore an ugly patchy fake leather jacket.”

Sapphire shook her head before pointing into the crowd, “You there with red scarf.”

The reporter asked, “Has the kidnapper been caught?”

She shook her head, “No, the assailant Black Hood is still at large but Riverdale’s police force is doing everything they can to catch the man and Stone Enterprises has donated a large sum to department in hopes of speeding alongside the process.”

Sapphire slightly narrowed her eyes with a sharp smile before going, “Mrs. Cooper.”

Alice sat up straighter, “What were your injuries and are you healing alright?”

Sapphire thought for a moment, “My injuries included but were not limited to a mild case of hypothermia, deep laceration across my back, a mild concussion, a black eye, and a sprain wrist. As for my healing, I’ve been doing alright. There’s a doctor always on sight in case I start showing an increase in symptoms. “

And then a small genuine smile appeared on her face before she pointed to Jughead, “Last question. Mr. Jones?”

Jughead sat up straighter before looking at his friend. He had felt slightly unnerved by her earlier but he was relieved that she was back to herself.

“Now that you're out of hospital, the readers would like to know how does this effect Stone Enterprises and what are your plans for the future?”

Sapphire paused. Her mind flashed back to when all of this began. Back to when Jason Blossom was still alive and being held for ransom. To when her  brother told them about his murder. To the tailgate. To homecoming. To FP getting arrested, Mustang’s death, and her brother running away. It went to finding out Sweet Pea loving her. It went to starting The Plan and the incident with Nicholas. To when all of the Serpents got arrested at school. She thought of Sweet Pea asking her to be his girlfriend, to have their night of passion. It went to when the Black Hood first targeted her to Sweet Pea cheating on her with Cheryl. She thought about when Joaquin came back. She thought of the triplets and Grammy and Mama Sweets. She thought of Stone Manor that’s been turned into a homeless facility. The lying from her friends and her kidnapping by the Black Hood.

But she finally settled on the thought of the lush green field with all of her loved ones surrounding her.

“I haven’t thought much about what shall happened to Stone Enterprises, but I am publicly announcing that we will be donating money to various charities and organizations including but not limited to the Support of LGBT Rights, Equal Rights for Women, Equal Rights for the Colored which includes but not limited to Black Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans; Homeless Facilities, Food for the Homeless, Mental High Research and Facilities. We all have to come forth together as a whole. What happened to be was a result of a man who found the ammunition to strike by the clear divide in our town’s society. I will not- Stone Enterprises will not stand to let this to happen to anyone else…”

She leveled Jughead with a look, “My plans for the future is to bring our people together and love and support each other. I know we can only take it one day at time, so today, I’ll celebrate with my loved ones and tomorrow? I’ll do my very damn best to bring peace to your loved ones.”

Sapphire flashed the crowd another smile, “No more questions. That is all.”

\--

Sapphire stood outside of the Stone Manor where the Christmas parties were being held in the east end. She could hear the music faint as it were from outside, but her eyes were only focus on the her little pink pixie bestie and the redhead bombshell.

Toni had only just told her about how Sweet Pea said that Cheryl only dated him because she was trying to force her feelings for Toni onto him. Toni hadn’t known what to do with that information. She had wanted to leave it alone because Cheryl’s actions had let to Sapphire getting hurt. But Sapphire remembered the promise she made so long ago. If Cheryl was who Toni wanted, then who was she to stop it. She promised to do everything she could to get the two together, so if telling Toni that she was okay with Cheryl’s actions would be make it happen, then fine. She didn’t even blame Cheryl honestly. The poor girl had no idea that tearing away Sapphire’s happiness who would lead her to getting kidnapped and almost murdered.

Sapphire watched as Toni walked up to Cheryl. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but she could see. _Oh, she could see._ Toni was nervous, and she hardly ever saw nervousness in her best friend.

It felt so good to be able to say that again.

Toni had her hands stuffed in her pockets while she talked to the ginger. A small smile danced on the edges of both girls’ faces before Toni stretched her hand and motioned towards her bike. Cheryl looked a little shocked, but she did take the other’s girl hand before following her over to the bike.

Sapphire knew the two had a lot to talk about, but she could see it in their eyes that they both wanted it.

\--

Sapphire felt eyes on her and she flicked her eyes around the area before she noticed Sweet Pea looking at her.

She turned to look at him and their eyes connected. On the inside, she wanted to cry. She wanted to scream because she was still hurting. He hurt her, and she couldn’t forgive him. At least not yet. Hell, she doesn’t know if she could at all.

But then he smiled at her and she froze. It wasn’t one of his usual smiles. Sharp and jaded with a softness to it that’s only reserved for those he holds dear. It wasn’t one of his business smiles where he makes those that cross the Serpents shake in anticipated fear and wariness.

No, this smile. This smile was the one he gave her years ago when they had first met, and he helped her up from where Scott Reynolds pushed her off the monkey bars. This smile was completely soft and inviting. It was comforting. It was a little shy yet confident.

It was a hello and a goodbye.

The scary part was now she didn’t know which was it, so she gave him her own smile back. Not a Phire smile. Not a Saph smile. Not an Heiress Sapphire Stone smile. She gave him a smile that was all just Sapphire. The one extremely similar to what she had given him back after he helped her up all those years ago.

Their first hello.

She didn’t know what this meant for the two of them. She didn’t know if this was a hello or if it was a goodbye. But the two of them just smiled at each other.

They’ll figure it out.

After all a story never ends, it continues in your heart. And she knew that without a doubt in her heart she would always be Sweet Pea’s Sapphire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Pea’s Sapphire has come to an end.
> 
> (Honestly, I rewrote this chapter like five times already and somehow managed to get everything situated without making it too long and rushing it.)
> 
> It’s an opening ending also because things are never “definite”. Sweet Pea and Sapphire obviously have things that they need to talk about and also, Cheryl and Toni. I promised a reader some Cherroni, so rest assured that there will be an epilogue of sorts dedicated to them. 
> 
> This has been a long ride and I’m honestly so proud of my darling little Sapphire who went through so much but hasn’t let any of it keep her down.
> 
> Thank you all for all of the support and love for me and Saph. And staying by our side even though I put you and Saph through hell. I know the ending might not be what everyone wanted but this honestly the best way that i can see for it to end.
> 
> But rest assured, this isn’t the last of my little gem. Sapphire will be included in my newest fic “The Teenage Kingpin” which is a Fangs Forgarty centric starring my newest lovely Emerald Wayne.
> 
> But also make sure to head over to the @podsquadcompetition blog on tumblr and join in on the fun!!! There are two competitions going on at the moment and trust me, you wouldn’t want to miss either of them!!
> 
> Neshie


	12. |epilogue|

Sapphire was drunk.

Sapphire was drunk and that was surprising in itself because Sapphire drinks but she doesn’t get drunk. Especially not after having her drinks drugged. But here she was standing on top of the bar in the entertainment room of Stone Manor loudly singing a rendition of Purple Rain.

She had long ago thrown off her Serpent Jacket and was proudly strutting around in just her bra and a stolen pair of Joaquin’s cargo pants. Of course, in retaliation, Joaquin was recording her “to play at her wedding” but everyone knew that it was for blackmailing purposes.

Beyoncé’s Dance for You started playing, and Fangs nudged him with his elbow. “You should go get her down before she starts stripping and giving Toni lap dances… again. Somehow I don’t think Cheryl would appreciate that.”

The two boys laughed knowing exactly how jealous Cheryl was of Toni’s and Sapphire’s friendship. Not to mention that Cheryl wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt said friendship especially since Sapphire had only just stopped glaring at the ginger whenever she came around. Yeah, Saph was still not over Cheryl entering their group and manipulating her friends away from her.

“But, dude, seriously, once the second verse hits, I don’t doubt that somebody would get hit with her bra,” Fangs teased, and Sweet Pea shook his head with a smile. He downed the rest of his drink before standing up and making his way over to his ex-girlfriend who had started to slowly belly roll alongside the beat. Just the sight of that had heat pooling in Sweet Pea’s lower region, but he still maintained his sanity as he got closer.

“Aw, come on SP,” he heard someone groan as he stopped in front of the bar. Sapphire though perked up and look towards Sweet Pea. Her eyes widened even as a smirk pulled on her lips and she dropped down into a split. Immediately, wolf whistles and groans of sexual tension echoed around the room. Sapphire paid them no mind as she gazed at the beautiful boy standing before her.

She swung her legs around until she was sitting as she could get in front of him. “You’re cute as fuck,” she said and felt a flash of confusion when she heard her brother choke on a laugh. The boy in front of her laughed also even as he was fighting off his own cocky smile.

“You’re beautiful yourself princess,” and Sapphire’s nose scrunched up. “Princess? I’m more Xena than Cinderella.”

He laughed again, and she smiled. He had a nice laugh. “Yeah, I can believe that. But I was thinking more of a Female Loki.”

Marvel! He was Marvel fan! Fuck, he was becoming more perfect with every word. “I think I’d make a better Shuri or Female Tony Stark.”

“I can totally see that. You’re certainly smart enough for that.”

Sapphire blinked. Just who the hell was this cute boy and how did he know her. She was one hundred percent sure that she would’ve remembered meeting someone as gorgeous as he. She turned her head a little and grabbed a bottle of wine from behind the counter. She quickly uncorked it and chugged it down before turning to look back at the boy.

She sighed just a little, “You are really pretty,” and then she yelled as she looked around the room for her best friend only to see her locking lips with that Blossom bitch. _She wasn’t even a good powerpuff girl_. “TONI! LOOK AT THIS HOT PIECE OF ASS IN FRONT OF ME!”

Toni pulled away from Cheryl to look at her gem sister and the apparently attractive person in front of her only to come to the sight of Sapphire and Sweet Pea. Toni immediately started laughing. “GO LOOSE, SAPH!”

Cheryl even chuckled as she realized what was going on, “I thought you said that she doesn’t like drinking.”

Toni smiled and shook her head, “She doesn’t. Not after everything that happened with Nick, the Dick.”

Of course, not what many people were privy to was that Sapphire just had one hell of a week dealing with SE’s Board wanting her to be more included in the company’s business and then she had to deal with flushing out some of the bad businessmen committing industrial espionage. Then she was being fought tooth and nail at the teenage club that she was trying to get opened. And not to mention the fact that since opening Stone Industries, her cousin, Sonja, had Sapphire wondering if going to jail for murder really worth it. If she had one more meeting to sit through, she swore she was going to scream.

Back by the bar, Sweet Pea was trying to coach Sapphire off the bar, but she was too busy flirting with him. Her hands reach out and gripped one of his muscles. A sort of thrill went through her imaging him picking her up and holding her against a wall—

Sapphire nods, eyes scanning Sweet Pea’s face slowly, taking in every aspect and feature on it and she smiles pleased when she finishes, “I gotta ask, do you come here often?”

To her mansion? Yes, twice a week and sometimes three if there’s no more ice cream in at any of their homes.

Sweet Pea snorts, fondness for this dumbass making his heart to beat faster. “Charming as always, I see.”

“I can show you _‘charming’._ ” Sapphire says, eyebrows wiggling in a suggestive manner and while the others groan and stifle laughter from around them, Sweet Pea just smiles. “But before that, I’m a woman of honor and I gotta know: are you single?”

Sweet Pea immediately paused, and it was like someone pressed mute on the room with how quiet everyone got.

Sapphire only looked directly at Sweet Pea. She swore she was going to cry if this stunning boy was taken. She had never felt more beautiful than at that moment with the way he was gazing up at her as if she was the most important thing in the world to her. She felt like a character right out of the romantic novels Joaquin gifted her for Christmas two years ago.

She felt like a princess.

His Princess.

“No, I-. I’m actually… courting someone at the moment,” he replied sincerely. “I made a mistake and now I just hope she feels the same.”

Courting? Who the fuck uses courting in a regular sentence like that? But at the same time, she felt dread settle in her stomach. Whoever this girl was to get this attractive ass dude to use _courting_ in a sentence must be pretty damn special.

“You should buy her diamonds. Or pearls. Or Swarovski studded chocolates. Those are good. Oooh, you should buy her some sapphires,” she smiled goofily before giggling abruptly. “My name is Sapphire. Sapphire Stone.”

“I know who you are,” pretty boy says again and Sapphire pouts. He was a fan? That just took his attractiveness down like a lot. Sapphire sighed before she slowly slid off the bar to stand unsteadily on her feet. She looked at pretty boy and patted his cheek, “You’re way too pretty. I hope the girl you’re courting gives you another chance.”

And then she turned and pressed herself to her brother’s side. “Quin? I’m ready to go home.”

She didn’t hear the soft mutter of, “I hope she does too” from behind her.

\--

It’d be another two weeks before anyone would catch a glimpse of Sapphire. She had been hiding away trying to buy a publishing company mainly because she did not have the patience to wait any longer for updates. She had also attended a few anime conventions and had to do a photoshoot for Teen Vogue and Seventeen. Not to mention, she was being considered a voice actor to an upcoming show. She was tired, and she wanted nothing but to get to her bed when she walked into her house.

She didn’t even notice the rest of the Kingpin and the Northsiders that were sitting in the front room. She only hung her keys on the hook and pulled off her shoes throwing them wherever. She took off her jacket and chucked off her shirt and pulled off her pants as she made the walk towards her room. The last thing the people sitting in her living room heard was the sound of her door slamming shut.

The Kingpin members each turned to look at each other as if wondering who was going to go check on her. Toni was immediately shaking her head, “Did you see her face? Her eye bags had bags. The last time she looked that, and someone bothered her nap, she sent the man to hospital from femur. You know how hard it to break a femur?”

Joaquin pretended to not even see the looks being directed at him. He lived with Sapphire and he knew how wise it would be to leave her alone. All the Kingpin did, but clearly Sweet Pea didn’t have any self-preservation instincts as the taller serpent stood up and head down the hallway.

A second passed before a loud inhuman screech of anger was heard alongside a high-pitched yelp and something hitting the ground. Fangs jumped from his seat rushing to help his best friend, “Don’t kill him, Saph.”

“Shit,” Joaquin cursed when the sound of Fangs screaming for dear life came a second later. He jumped up ready to help his friends while also trying to figure out how to escape his sister’s rage when said girl came storming out. She had a crazed look in her eyes and her hair was in disarray. She didn’t bother to take off the make up on her face and she was just in her underwear. Literally. She was only in her panties.

“Come get them out of my room and know that the next person that enters won’t be leaving with their life,” she growled before she spun around and left. Joaquin in turned threw a pillow at Archie and Reggie who were both staring after his younger sister. The glare he gave them could’ve scared the devil.

Joaquin walked out the living room and towards his sister’s bedroom only to find her with a pair of Toni’s noise cancellers on and Fangs and Sweet Pea sitting extremely still right by the door eyes never leaving Sapphire.

“What happened,” Joaquin questioned, and two eyes flickered up to him quickly before they were shaking their heads. Joaquin rose a brow before motioning for them to leave the room. The two boys stood quickly, and Joaquin slowly closed his little sister’s door before heading back out towards their friends.

\--

It was hours later, and the group heard when Sapphire awoken and moved to take a shower. When she finally emerged, she was wearing a stolen t shirt from Jughead and a pair of Sweet Pea’s stolen sweatpants that pooled around her feet, but she walked without even noticing the extra fabric.

Anyone with eyes could see she was still tired even as she moved to sit in the free space beside Joaquin and cuddle into his side. Sweet Pea chuckled, “Tired, Princess?”

“Even Xena needs sleep,” she mumbled as her brother began to run a hand through her hair.

“Someone should tell Tony Stark and Shuri that,” he casually replied and watched as Sapphire’s brow crinkled. She peeked up at him because she swore she heard a conversation similar to this.

_[“You’re beautiful yourself princess,” and Sapphire’s nose scrunched up. “Princess? I’m more Xena than Cinderella.”_

_She sighed just a little, “You are really pretty,”_

_“TONI! LOOK AT THIS HOT PIECE OF ASS IN FRONT OF ME!”_

_Toni pulled away from Cheryl to look at her gem sister and the apparently attractive person in front of her only to come to the sight of Sapphire and Sweet Pea. Toni immediately started laughing. “GO LOOSE, SAPH!”_

_“No, I-. I’m actually… courting someone at the moment,” he replied sincerely. “I made a mistake and now I just hope she feels the same.”_

_”You’re way too pretty. I hope the girl you’re courting gives you another chance.”]_

Sapphire immediately felt herself flush in embarrassment as her drunken mumbles from two weeks ago finally registered in her mind. She pressed her hands to her eyes as she remembered how much she called Sweet Pea attractive. Not to mention she remembered how disappointed she had felt when he had said he was courting someone. “Kill me now,” she groaned in embarrassment and everyone burst into laughter.

“Oh, come on, Princess. Your words did wonders for my self-esteem,” Sweet Pea teased, and Sapphire shook her head. “I don’t even know how you all put up with me or how I put with you.”

Sweet Pea shrugged with an easy grin, “You are legit one of the best people on this earth.”

Sapphire turned and gave him a shy smile back, but it dropped at his next words as she rolled her eyes with a scoff, “And because you think I’m pretty.”

\--

The sun was beginning to set when Sweet Pea found Sapphire sitting on top of one of the cliffs at Sweetwater river. Her eyes were trained on the cliff edge that she had been flung off months prior and he watched as a shiver ran through her. But he said nothing as he made his way over and sat down beside her.

Sapphire jumped when she noticed someone beside her and turned to her head to look at Sweet Pea, but his eyes were trained on the setting the sun. She felt her lips twitch as she watched the colors dance across his face before she turned back to forward.

A beat passed before she said, “I wasn’t lying, you know. You really are incredibly pretty.” Sweet Pea smiled but didn’t turn to her knowing that it’d only make her flushing cheeks flush deeper.

“Thank you,” he replied sincerely. Another beat of silence passed before he was going, “Hey, Saph?”

She hummed in acknowledgement and he swallowed thickly wondering if he was brave enough to go through with this. And then she turned her gaze on him and he knew that he would replay this day repeatedly if he could if it meant seeing her with the rays of the fading sun sprawling across her face as the glow of the moon lit up her eyes.

“Do you remember when I was talking about the girl I was courting,” Sweet Pea started, and he watched as Sapphire’s face twitched as she tried to fight off a blush and change her features into something more neutral. She nodded her head slowly. “I was wondering if you could help me woo her so to speak. Not that your suggestions of buying her jewelry and chocolates were bad. I just can’t afford it you know.”

Sapphire huffed out a laugh remembering suggesting he buy Swarovski studded chocolates like they aren’t ten thousand dollars.

“Why do you need my help,” she inquired. She watched as Sweet Pea flushed a little before turning to her full on.

“Like I said before, I made a mistake. I broke her heart, and now I’m trying to fix it.”

“Maybe she doesn’t need fixing.”

Sweet Pea inclined his head in a nod, “Maybe, but it doesn’t mean I’m not willing to try.”

Sapphire turned her head to look at the moon settling shining over the river, “Tell me about her…. Tell me about this girl.”

Sapphire was completely unprepared for the soft look that crossed his features and how his eyes lit up.

“She is… she’s perfection. She has this is ability that I doubt she even notices to light up a room when she smiles and dim the sun when she’s sad. She always has this twinkle in her eye whenever she starts rambling passionately about something that had gained her favor. She’s protective until the point where you would think it was overbearing and annoying, but you know that she’d only want the best and safest things for those she cherishes before herself. Everything about her is confident and smooth. She always in control and with her by my side I feel like I can take on the world…

…And then I messed up and I tried to convince myself that I hated her. That she wasn’t the girl for me. You know that saying about he looked at her like she was the sun? In a way it was true. Except during that time, I never really looked at her except in frustration. I basked in her warmth when she was near. I complained about her when she was gone. But I hadn’t never took the time to look at how my actions affected her when she was gone from my side. On the days she said nothing around, I complained thinking she was being jealous hearted and petty. When she started to resemble the girl I had first met, I hid my emotions from her and tossed my actions in her face…

…Until one day, I stopped and paid attention to her. When I finally manned up and acknowledge that I was wrong. And in the beauty of the sunset, I wondered how I never seen it before…

…She’s a hater but she’s a lover. She will fight, but she has suffered. She can be cold, but she can be warm. Everyone marvels at her beauty, but they glance at her storm…

…She was the girl that was always there. No matter what I did before, she was there to love me even when I didn’t deserve her love. I guess I took that for granted and went on to make a huge mistake that cost me her heart. Because I finally realize that she’s exactly what I need in my life, because she was proof that broken things could still be beautiful…”

He finally stopped and really looked at her only to notice the tears streaming from her eyes. “Saph,” he whispered reaching out for her and she let him instead of flinching back like she used to.

“SP, well never be those kids again,” she muttered before she tried to clear her throat. “She sounds like a good person though.”

“The best,” he replied, and Sapphire didn’t want to look him in the eyes. She knew what she would find. Love and passion and fondness and so many other synonymous words that she couldn’t think of… couldn’t process at the moment because her heart was beating too hard and beating too fast.

“Sapphire,” he whispered, and she took a deep breath and cautiously looked into her eyes. “Be my Pea, again. Be _my_ Sapphire. Please. I want to hear people whispering about us. Sapphire’s Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea’s Sapphire. Please. Give me one more chance.”

“How do I know you won’t hurt me again,” she finally replied. “How do I know you won’t leave me again?”

He took her hands in one of his and lifted her chin with the other. He stared her right in the eyes as he said, “Because you’re it for me. I know where still just teenagers in high school. But I doubt that there is literally even another person in this _universe_ that was made for me and me for them like you. I can’t be without you, Sapphire, whether as your friend or your boyfriend. Either way, my heart… my soul… my very existence will always belong to you.”

Tears trailed down her face even quicker as she tried to turn away, “You’re a goddamn sap. You know that?”

She took a deep breath before looking at him once again, “One chance, SP. I’m giving you one last chance. Don’t make me regret it.”

And the smile that lit up his face had her believing even for the moment that she doubt he could even try, and when he kissed her, she swore it felt like ending one chapter and the beginning of another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed writing purely about Sweetphire.


End file.
